This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Seeing this, several lords from the Midwest were about to voice their support for Earl Hoffman when they saw him take the initiative to step down and recommend Dick to be the commander of the allied forces.

"Gentlemen! The situation is extremely urgent. Lord Best has experience fighting orcs and has achieved remarkable victories. We should indeed listen to him."

Hoffman's remarks, which considered the overall situation, made Dick look at him with new respect.

Hoffman's confidence in Dick stemmed not only from his past defeats at Dick's hands, but also from his knowledge that Dick had top-tier assassins capable of taking down Hammuradi, the King of Assassins.

Dick, who had successfully taken command, clapped his hands, and Joel, who was serving as his secretary, immediately pushed in a display board from outside the conference room. It contained a map of the Hoffmann estate, and judging from the terrain and various markings, its accuracy was even higher than the maps used by the Hoffmann family themselves.

Upon seeing this, Peter Hoffman's lips twitched slightly. He thought to himself, "Why do you have such a high-precision map? What the hell are you planning to do?" He didn't even dare to think about it!

Ignoring the awkwardness on Hoffman's face, Dick pointed to the map and began to deploy.

First, Dick affirmed the original strategy, stating that relying on the Nie River for defense was indeed the best approach at present.

However, although the Nie River is the largest freshwater river in northern China, with a wide channel and abundant water, it still cannot compare to the fjords. As the temperature continues to drop, the river surface is already mostly frozen. In another month, the ice will be thick enough for a horse to run on, making it indistinguishable from flat land.

In fact, many of the lords present knew this as well, but they thought that as long as they could hold out for a month, reinforcements from the central empire would surely arrive.

As long as the heavenly army launches an attack, everything will be alright!

At that moment, a servant of the Hoffman family entered and whispered a few words in the master's ear. Peter's expression immediately became somewhat subtle, and he looked at Dick with shock and confusion in his eyes.

"Lord Best, your cavalry..."

"It was my order; we need more time."

At Dick's request, Hoffman mobilized his entire territory and also urgently summoned the people of the surrounding territories.

Dick planned to spend at least three days creating a "miracle" on the east bank of the Nye River.

However, they learned from the refugees fleeing from the west that the orc army was advancing rapidly towards them and would reach the west bank within two days at the earliest, leaving the allied forces with little time.

At this moment, on the west bank of the Nie River, an orc vanguard force had approached to within 100 kilometers and was taking a short rest in the forest.

This force was not large, consisting of only four hundred beastmen, with some smaller scouts scattered around the perimeter, seven or eight men per group, like tentacles reaching out.

The commander of this vanguard force was none other than Neg, the orc who had delivered thousands of beast heads to Dick in the fjord. From a commander of a legion of 20,000 men to a mere vanguard officer commanding a few hundred, Neg's circumstances had changed drastically.

When the Beastmaster's punishment came down, Nege actually had the idea of ​​"shifting the blame," since the suggestion to advance ahead of schedule was made by his shaman teacher, so the other party also shared the responsibility.

But after only a moment's hesitation, Nege chose to take on everything alone.

After being demoted, Neg did not succumb to despair, but instead continued to serve the Orcs dutifully, leading his vanguard at the forefront of the battle.

Since entering human territory, he and his troops have been invincible. The Imperial border legions cowered in their fortresses, while the private armies of the lords were no match for the orcs.

After days of fighting, Nege had lost count of how many enemies he had defeated. The steel sword that the Beast King had given him was now dulled, forcing him to use the enemy's weapons.

You won't believe it until you try it; the human race's weapons are truly amazing! Even a junior officer's sword is sharper than his imperial bestowed sword.

But the human race, wielding such sophisticated weapons, was so utterly vulnerable.

No! It seems that not all humans are like this.

Just as Nege was lost in thought, seemingly in a daze, a commotion came from behind them. It was another group of beast riders, not many in number, only sixty or seventy, but the leaders, judging from their metal armor, were clearly of extraordinary status.

When the other person got closer, Nege couldn't help but frown.

He recognized everyone, but none of them were the people he wanted to see.

Chapter 124: Surprise Attack

The orc cavalry charged straight toward the vanguard. The young men at the head of the group walked right up to Nege but did not dismount. Instead, they looked down at Nege, who was sitting and resting against a big tree. The smiles on their faces revealed undisguised schadenfreude.

"Hey, Commander Nege, you seem to be having a pretty leisurely time."

"There's a saying among humans: 'Without official duties, one is carefree.' Of course, he's relaxed now!"

Ignoring the other party's taunts, Nege simply wiped his weapon in silence.

In terms of bloodline, these orc youths and Nege are half-brothers, but their relationship can hardly be described as "brotherly affection".

King Ramon of the Beasts had so many children that even he himself didn't know the exact number. His sons were born soldiers, while his daughters were betrothed to the tribal chiefs under his command, a practice that also improved the orcish race's genetic makeup. Ramon also intentionally fostered competition among his children, ensuring that only the strongest and most intelligent would win his favor.

Among these orc princes, Neg was once one of the most favored children.

Not only was he highly skilled in martial arts, but he also possessed a brilliant mind that was highly praised by the First Shaman. This led Ramon to appoint Neg as the commander of the Eastern Route Army when he decided to launch a major invasion to the south, and it also drove the orc princes who saw him as a rival to the brink of madness with jealousy.

However, fate is unpredictable. No one could have imagined that Nege, who was leading the army with such glory, would suffer a crushing defeat in his first battle. He was ambushed while crossing the fjord, losing thousands of soldiers and many of his good brothers who had originally supported him. In the end, Ramon demoted him to a minor vanguard in a fit of anger.

This made many people extremely happy, after all, their brother's failure made them happier than their own success.

This group of orcs was led by Rag, whose opponent was the centurion of the orc cavalry in the central army. Rag had long disliked him. His troops happened to be fighting nearby, and when they heard from their subordinates that Neg's vanguard was right next to them, they immediately called their best buddies and came to mock Neg.

Seeing that Neg kept a sour face and refused to talk to them, Rag became even more excited and, together with his brothers, showed off the various "trophies" hanging on their bodies to Neg.

Orc warriors, to demonstrate their bravery, would typically take a representative item from the prey or enemy they had killed and hang it on themselves.

Nege would do the same, but he preferred to take the weapons used by the enemy, while the more "traditional" guys preferred to cut "parts" from the corpses, such as eyeballs, fingers, and other bloody things, and make them into necklaces and bracelets to wear.

Rag's brothers were mostly traditionalists, each of them dressing themselves up like hellish demons. It was a good thing it was winter, otherwise the stench of their bodies would have made people dizzy!

As for Rag, he's the epitome of a pervert!

His "trophy" was quite unusual; it was a living human girl!

As a half-orc, Rag's appearance is clearly more human-like. By orc aesthetic standards, he, with his thin body and little hair, would definitely be considered an ugly man, but by human standards, he is a wild and handsome guy.

Judging from her clothes and appearance, the girl should come from a wealthy human family, perhaps even a noble lady. The little girl sat on the back of the beast behind Rag, her eyes filled with fear of the man-eating beastmen around her, but her small hands tightly gripped Rag's belt, her body almost pressed against him, as if seeking a sense of security from Rag.

Rag noticed that the girl was scared, so he reached out his furry paw and gently stroked the girl's small hand that was gripping his belt, comforting her in the human language not to be afraid.

Upon seeing this, Nege finally couldn't help but show obvious disgust on his face.

Rag has a terrible hobby: during his killing spree, he would protect any human women he fancied and give them careful and gentle care.

Once the other person completely trusts him, or even develops feelings of love for him, Rag will reveal his true colors, cruelly torture and kill them, and eat them, just to appreciate the ultimate despair.

This guy's level of perversion is so extreme that many beastmen find it unbearable!

Feeling disgusted, Neg got up to leave, but what Rag said made him stop in his tracks.

"Neg, have you heard? The humans have formed an alliance, and the lord who defeated you so badly in the fjord has joined and become their commander. If we keep advancing, we'll run into them soon. Don't you want revenge, Neg?"

"Where did you get this information?"

Neg knew that Rag was close to the black-robed advisors around the Beast King, and those unseen individuals always managed to obtain a lot of important intelligence about the human race.

"Never mind that. I'm here to tell you face to face that I will kill the human lord who defeated you and prove to my father that I am stronger than you! Besides, I also want to..."

Rag was delivering his impassioned declaration of war when a sharp whistle interrupted him halfway through. Immediately afterward, everyone present could feel the ground trembling violently beneath their feet, as if a terrifying horde of beasts was charging toward them.

Nege was the first to realize it was an enemy attack, but before he could warn his orc soldiers to prepare for battle, a large number of black spheres suddenly fell from the treetops above them, exploding just before hitting the ground with extremely piercing explosions and bright lights. Instantly, many of the orcs around them became deaf and blind, covering their ears and howling in pain.

Nege was also affected, but to a lesser degree. Because he closed his eyes in time, he was only deaf but not blind. He could still see with difficulty, but the double vision was particularly severe.

In a daze, he seemed to see a figure descend from the sky and snatch the human girl behind Rag away with lightning speed, as if flying.

Before he could get a good look at where the other party had flown off to, a large number of human cavalrymen came rushing from the east side of the forest.

Unlike the noble private armies they had easily defeated before, these cavalrymen were clearly more elite. They might only number two or three hundred, but they exuded an overwhelming aura of pressure, which Nege couldn't understand why they gave him such a strong sense of oppression.

These cavalrymen were incredibly fast, arriving almost instantly, while the orcs were still in disarray from the shock grenades and unable to mount an effective defense.

This cavalry unit, daring to launch a direct attack on the orcs, was none other than Dick's cavalry unit. Led by Black and White Spear, they were ordered to lead the elite vanguard to harass the orc army, slowing their advance as much as possible and buying time for the Nie River defense line.

Besides the black and white Gunslinger, Kasumi and Ayane also accompanied them as scouts; the flashbangs that filled the sky earlier were their handiwork. The two carried spatial rings given to them by Dick, stuffed full of various explosives made by Lily.

This coordinated attack was executed flawlessly; the cavalry's vanguard sliced ​​through the orcs like a hot knife through butter, leaving them completely exposed.

Both Black and White Lancer Artoria, as Heroic Spirits, possess skills that boost the attack of their teammates, and these boosts are cumulative, significantly enhancing the overall strength of the cavalry unit.

The cavalrymen felt that as long as they followed behind their two beautiful captains, they could charge with great vigor and the mere orcs would be no match for them!

As for the orc vanguard, although this was not the largest counterattack they had encountered since invading human territory, it was definitely the most formidable.

At this moment, because Neg didn't have any random spoils of war hanging on him, he didn't stand out in the chaotic army. On the contrary, Rag and the others who came to visit were too conspicuous because of their traditional orcish attire, and they were immediately spotted by the human cavalry.

Black Gunner immediately spotted Rag, convinced he was the commander of the orc army, and charged straight at him. He initially planned to stab him through, but then remembered the guy might know some intelligence that could be captured and handed over to Tia for interrogation. So he changed his attack to a sweeping motion, using his lance like a club to deliver a powerful blow to the boy.

"Get down here!"

Black Gunner did hold back this time, but Rag still flew very high, detached from his mount, and spun three and a half times in the air before crashing into his two other brothers behind him.

The other orcs tried to come to their aid, but none of them were even a match for Black Spear Daedalus. They were quickly overwhelmed and scattered by the White Spear Daedalus who arrived to provide support.

"Got it! Get out of here!"

"I'm not done yet! I can take care of these orcs by myself!"

"But our soldiers aren't heroic spirits. Master specifically instructed us to know when to quit while we're ahead!"

Reminded by Bai Qiangdai, Hei Qiangdai looked around and saw that the cavalry who had charged with them were indeed starting to suffer casualties. These cavalrymen, whom they had personally trained, were indeed courageous, but they were still flesh and blood after all. Hei Qiangdai actually quite liked these little brothers who called her "Big Sister."

"That's enough, let's retreat!"

As Black Gunner spoke, he turned his horse around and picked up the unconscious Rag from the ground. The nearby guards immediately sounded the retreat horn. The cavalry, who had already fought their way in and out of the enemy ranks three times, quickly disengaged from the battle, leaving the stunned enemy behind and galloping away.

Nege narrowly escaped death and immediately rallied his remaining troops. After counting the number of men, he discovered that the enemy's surprise attack had killed or wounded nearly half of his men in less than ten minutes. Rag's group was also caught in the crossfire, and Rag himself was even captured by the enemy.

The few of Rag's underlings were on the verge of tears, but also still felt lingering fear.

Because they have been conquering human territory so easily, they think that humans are nothing special, as weak as lambs to the slaughter.

It wasn't until they encountered this completely different group of enemies that they finally woke up from their dream.

Chapter 125: The Desperate Ice City

For two consecutive days, more lords and mercenaries arrived to join the allied forces, bringing the total strength to over 20,000. In addition, over 100,000 laborers participated in building the defense line, and the entire east bank of the Nie River was bustling with activity.

The vast majority of these laborers were subjects of the Earl of Hoffmann's territory. Dick observed for two days and, judging from the extent of the subjects' support for Peter, this fellow might not be a good neighbor, always trying to reach into other people's homes with his not-so-clean hands, but at least he was a good lord, and his people trusted him very much.

In return for this trust, Hoffman did not retreat into his castle and ignore the lives of the people in his territory like some lords did. He wanted to protect as many people as possible!

Peter Hoffman's original plan was to build a defensive zone based on the terrain, so as to hold out and wait for reinforcements from the imperial central army to come to the rescue.

The Hoffmann family's castle was situated at a bend in the Nye River on the east bank, a prime location. The wide Nye River served as both a water source and a moat, making the castle extremely easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The problem now is that the Hoffman family's castle has limited space, and it can only accommodate a maximum of 30,000 people. However, the Hoffman family has more than 100,000 people, plus the imperial citizens who have come from other places seeking refuge. The population gathered here is about to exceed 300,000!

To protect these people, the allied forces planned to build a defensive wall over 10,000 meters long. The western section, along the east bank of the Nie River, was the main defensive direction and therefore had to be prioritized for construction. The allied forces could use the wall to block the orcs from crossing the river. The eastern section, on the other hand, was mainly to prevent the enemy from flanking and attacking from behind, and was located behind the defensive wall.

In addition, Hoffman also gathered dozens of mages to form a mage group, instructing them to blast open the ice on the river when necessary.

The plan was straightforward and had no major problems. Dick also thought building a wall was a good idea, so he provided some technical guidance to help the defensive wall be built faster and better!

The main defensive wall in the eastern section was constructed using locally sourced materials, with ice blocks cut directly from the Nie River to serve as bricks. In the harsh winters of the north, the hardness of ice blocks is no less than that of granite.

The latter part of the eastern section is modeled after Cao Cao in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, using sand and water to build frozen earth walls. The process is slightly slower than the western section, but it is still progressing steadily.

Thanks to the cavalry harassment sent out by Dick, coupled with the orc army's deep penetration into human territory, the battle lines have been stretched out without them realizing it, causing their forces to become dispersed and thus affecting their speed of advance.

Hoffman had expected them to arrive in two days at the earliest, but it wasn't until the fifth day that a small vanguard of orcs appeared on the west bank of the Nie River, staring blankly at the towering city walls nearly eight meters high on the opposite bank. The completion of the city walls greatly boosted the morale of the allied forces.

"Incredible, this is simply a miracle!"

With over 100,000 laborers working in three shifts, they built a giant city. The western section of the city wall averaged eight meters high, and the wall itself was made of locally sourced composite materials, making it extremely sturdy. The eastern section was slightly lower at the rear, with a five-meter-high wall made of frozen soil. However, the outer side was dug with trenches, pits, and so many spikes that they could trigger trypophobia, leaving only a path less than five meters wide.

While constructing the wall, the Allied forces also hastily built a large number of simplified versions of counterweight catapults based on blueprints provided by Dick. These devices had a decent range, and their main advantage was their extreme simplicity of manufacture, so simple that it overshadowed their lack of durability. As a result, many were mass-produced and used purely as consumables.

In the past five days, the allied forces have increased to nearly 30,000 men. The Laguge side has also sent two batches of reinforcements totaling 1,500 men, as well as a large amount of food and supplies.

As the lord who sent the second-largest number of troops, Dick's army was not only elite, but also included many engineers and a whole field medical team.

It is worth mentioning that during the construction of the ice city, people were injured from time to time. In five days, hundreds of people were injured. However, apart from eleven people who died on the spot, the rest of the wounded received proper treatment in the field hospital in Lagug. This made Natasha, who served as the head of the medical team, famous. Many seriously wounded people who were treated by her praised her as the embodiment of a loving goddess.

As a result, Natasha's fame attracted the attention of the local church authorities. They were amazed by Natasha's exquisite art and beauty, and actually came to Dick to ask for her, believing that Natasha was a messenger sent by the goddess to earth and should join their church.

They first harassed Natasha, which annoyed her so much that she used Dick as a shield, saying she was the Count's "slave" and couldn't make decisions for him. So the group then went to bother Dick.

These charlatans were used to persuading people to donate to the church in the name of God. They thought Dick was so young that he would be easy to fool, so they talked a lot of nonsense, making it seem as if Dick could achieve perfect merit and ascend to heaven as soon as he gave them people.

Dick was looking at the map when the old priest finished rambling. He got up and went to the priest's side, whispering a few words in his ear. The priest's expression immediately became quite interesting. He then got up and left in a sorry state, never daring to bother Natasha and Dick again.

The seemingly respectable old priest is actually quite cunning behind the scenes!

On the day the defensive wall was completed, the cavalry unit that had been sent out to harass the enemy returned.