This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Of the 302 cavalrymen who went out, 268 returned. The losses were not too great, but the results were truly remarkable. On average, each cavalryman killed more than seven orcs, and Black and White Spears even broke the 100 mark. It wasn't that they could only take on a hundred men at a time, but that's how many they encountered.

They also captured some prisoners, including some of Ramon's sons.

As soon as the cavalry arrived, Black Gunner, who was walking at the very front of the column, attracted everyone's attention.

Many lords who rushed to see the spectacle were filled with admiration, envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Dick when they saw the black-armored knight remove his helmet, revealing a handsome and dashing face!

Why are all of this guy's retainers beautiful and capable women?

Is this really reasonable?

Seeing Black Gunner so ostentatiously, Dick was somewhat annoyed.

Many of the girls under his command either don't appear in public at all, or they slightly alter their appearance by wearing makeup when they do, in order to make themselves look more ordinary.

However, Black Gun Dai is the type with an extremely flamboyant personality and an excessive desire to perform. Not only does he often show his true self in public, but he also deliberately seeks out Dick to be intimate and say things that evoke imagination. For example, this time, Black Gun Dai deliberately ran up to Dick, knelt down on one knee, and kissed the back of his hand, which both helped Dick show off and made him look good, and also made him a target of hatred.

However, after showing off, Black Gunner didn't forget her serious business. She turned around, picked up a "humanoid dumpling" from her horse with one hand, and smiled brightly at Dick, asking for credit.

"Master! We've caught a big fish on this trip!"

The author says:

Author's note: Happy New Year, everyone! Wishing you all good health and freedom from depression in 2024!

Chapter 126: Battle

Rag was terrified!

He was once a powerful and influential figure, the son of the Beast King Ramon, and the commander of a thousand beast riders. In his eyes, humans were nothing more than talking loaves of bread, which he could knead, shape, and abuse at will.

But fate is unpredictable. Not only was he attacked by the bread people, but he is now surrounded by thousands upon thousands of them. Dizzy, he can't see their faces clearly, but he can feel the boundless rage in their eyes, as if they might tear him to shreds at any moment!

The ridiculously strong female knight carried him through the crowd and threw him directly at the feet of some human.

That human was not tall; even among the already short (compared to orcs) human race, he appeared quite tiny, like a little kid who hadn't grown up yet.

But at this moment, Rag was trembling uncontrollably with fear.

Although Rag was fierce and brutal, and some of his perverse acts were unbearable even for his fellow beastmen, this was merely a disguise to cover up his cowardly nature; he was actually terrified of death. If his mouth hadn't been gagged with a rag, he would have already begged for mercy.

Seeing the fear and pleading in Rag's eyes, Dick knew he was a coward. With so many people watching, he used his telekinesis to lift the guy off the ground so that more onlookers could see his swollen face, which was covered in tears.

"So, even these beasts can be afraid!"

Dick used magic to amplify his voice. The people around him were stunned at first, but then someone started laughing, which led to more people cheering.

In recent days, as the orcs have been closing in, the refugees fleeing from the west have been as if they have just walked through hell. They are all terrified and have brought all sorts of intelligence and bad news, keeping the allied camp in a tense and uneasy atmosphere. The panic is spreading even faster than disease, seriously affecting the morale of the soldiers and civilians.

So, since we've come across such a cowardly orc, we should make good use of him and use his fear of death to dispel the fear of the human race.

Look! These man-eating monsters also bleed and feel fear!

The use of Rag boosted the morale of the coalition forces, and the unfortunate boy was subsequently handed over to a special operations team that had arrived at the front with the third batch of reinforcements for interrogation. Instead of traditional torture, he was subjected to various carefully formulated chemical agents to ensure he told the truth.

It is worth mentioning that Count Hoffman also had a special intelligence team under his command. This group was trained by Yitzhak and could be considered a budget version of Mossad, as they were more skilled in physical interrogation.

This group had previously attempted to infiltrate Ragug, clashing frequently with Tia's "Forget-Me-Not," and even organizing two rescue operations against Yzak, all of which ended in failure.

The two sides have now formed a temporary alliance to fight against the orc invasion, and their intelligence agencies have also begun to cooperate.

The agents from both sides used their unique skills, employing chemical methods to treat the symptoms, physical methods to address the root cause, and combining physical and chemical approaches to create a specimen! They pampered Rag to the point of ecstasy, draining him completely in just one night.

Through Rag, the Allied Forces learned about the Orcish invasion army's troop deployment and strategic intentions. They actually wanted to use 100,000 Orcs to devour all the Imperial territory north of the Central Mountains in one fell swoop. And their initial campaign was indeed very successful. The Northern Lords, who were careless and underestimated their enemy, were caught off guard.

However, although the orc army came with great force, the various tribes, which were used to being loosely organized, were still not as well-organized as the human race, even after being integrated by the Orc King Ramon.

As the war has progressed, the orc army has been relentlessly pursuing the humans, but unknowingly, their battle lines have become too wide apart, no longer the tightly clenched fist they once were.

However, the main force of the central army, personally led by the Beast King, still numbered around 17,000 to 18,000 orc soldiers.

Fortunately, their target was not the noble alliance, but rather the pass in the central mountain range, intending to seize that strategic location before the humans could react.

The pass in the Central Mountain Range is an important passage connecting the southern part of the empire, and also a gateway.

With its advantageous terrain, only 5,000 elite soldiers are needed here to hold off an army of 100,000. Once the orc army takes this place, the reinforcements from the south will have a hard time breaking through, and the humans in the north will unfortunately become the stray dogs that are locked up and beaten.

The allied forces are currently unsure whether the Beast King Ramon has any other trump cards to ensure his army can capture the fortress at the Central Mountain Pass with 100% certainty. However, all the details suggest that there seems to be a mastermind guiding the Beast King, not only offering advice but also providing a lot of crucial intelligence.

The next morning, the sentries standing guard on the ice wall were surprised to find that a well-organized orc army had appeared on the opposite bank, with an estimated number of about two thousand. It was unclear whether their confidence had been swelled by their consecutive victories, but they had launched a massive attack.

The sentry immediately sounded the battle horn, and the soldiers on duty at the foot of the city wall rushed up to the top, ready for battle.

The two thousand or so orcs opposite were mostly infantry, armed with a variety of weapons, including various bone weapons for their own use and iron weapons they had captured in human territory. They were also covered with all sorts of "trophies" that would make anyone's sanity drop wildly. Some even wore human intestines around their necks as necklaces, looking exactly like demons who had run out of hell.

However, these demons were still flesh and blood. Although the nobles' private armies were not allowed to be equipped with muskets and cannons, they had plenty of crossbows and catapults. The defenders immediately launched a head-on attack on the enemy with ranged weapons, and the tall orcs were easy targets.

Surprisingly, the first volley of crossbow fire, despite its high accuracy, did not take down many enemies. Many orcs were hit by multiple arrows, yet their running speed remained undiminished.

Orcs are not only thick-skinned and tough, but their bones are also exceptionally hard, especially their skulls. Human armies' crossbows cannot crack their skulls unless they are shot directly in the eyes.

Such hard skulls meant that the orcs, whose metallurgical skills were practically nonexistent, greatly favored using the bones of their own kind to make weapons. Many orcs, after death, were not buried like humans, but rather their bodies were fully utilized: flesh for food and bones for weapons.

So when you see an orc wielding two "skull hammers" charging at you, it's very likely that it's three generations of their family fighting together!

However, no matter how strong their health bars were, it was like throwing eggs against rocks for two thousand orcs to charge into a fortress guarded by tens of thousands of people. Seeing that the crossbows had limited effectiveness, the allied forces decisively used the more powerful ballistae and catapults.

The ice surface of the Nie River, covered with snow, was quickly stained red with blood.

Chapter 127: The Three Giants

Hoffman was still asleep when the orcs attacked, but the moment the horns sounded, he sprang out of bed like a taut spring. Bare-chested, he rushed to the balcony and looked west towards the Nie River, where he saw the massive horde of over two thousand orcs charging towards him.

At this time, Hoffman was unaware that these orcs were a group of reckless brutes who disobeyed orders and launched a frontal attack on their own initiative as soon as they reached the other side.

Because this army had been too successful in its previous sieges, many small lords' castles or manors were poorly built and lacked sufficient troops for defense. Therefore, the two thousand orcs could simply charge in head-on, scale the walls, and slaughter at will.

This made the orc army feel inflated, thinking that the human city on the other side was only slightly larger and could not stop their invincible orc warriors at all.

And then tragedy struck!

Of the more than two thousand orcs, nearly half were left on the ice after crossing the river. The other half charged to the city wall under the crossbow bolts of various calibers, only to find that although the city wall did not look very big on the other side, it was ridiculously high when they got close. They couldn't even touch the top when they jumped.

What infuriated them even more was that those cowardly and despicable humans refused to engage in a fair and square duel with their orc warriors, instead shooting arrows and throwing stones down from the city walls.

At this distance, archers can truly shine, shooting with incredible accuracy from their elevated position, taking down enemies without a sound!

Soon, most of the two thousand orcs were killed or wounded. Only then did the remaining soldiers realize that something was wrong. They turned around and tried to run back, but were attacked by crossbowmen who had been rotated in again. None of them made it back alive.

As the last orc fell, the allied forces defending the city were declared victorious. The soldiers looked at the orc corpses lying on the ground below the city walls, feeling both excited and incredulous.

They killed so many orcs, and their side suffered zero casualties!

The soldiers cheered and jumped for joy, while in the forest on the other side of the Nie River, Nege watched as the friendly force rushed over to deliver their heads and was wiped out, and listened to the high-spirited shouts of the human side, and he was so angry that his teeth itched!

"A bunch of idiots! Their deaths were meaningless!"

When this orc army arrived at the west bank of the Nie River, Neg, who had been stationed there to receive reinforcements from various directions, had tried to dissuade them from advancing rashly.

But the centurion who commanded the army was an arrogant and foolish tribal chief who looked down on Neg, who was trying to stop him from launching an attack, and thought he was a coward. So he ignored Neg's advice.

Nege watched helplessly as they charged forward, only to be wiped out. The pointless deaths of two thousand orcs not only failed to shake the giant city in the slightest, but also boosted the enemy's morale.

Feeling depressed, Nege couldn't help but recall a statement made by the Beast King Ramon: the orcs are actually a weak race that is unaware of its own weakness.

On the Allied side, the inexplicable attack ended quickly. Hoffman, who was watching from the balcony, only realized at this point that he was only wearing his underwear outdoors, and hurriedly retreated back into the room, trembling.

Hoffman, with his human mindset, did not believe that the orcs' attack was simply due to mindlessness (but it was indeed the case). It was highly likely that it was a deliberate probing attack, and the main force of the orcs was probably hiding in the woods on the opposite bank at this moment (but it wasn't).

Hoffman hurriedly dressed and ran out of the room. As he passed the castle guest room, he saw Dick and his two beautiful and strong female knights coming out of the room together.

"My lord, why are you in such a panic?"

"The orcs are attacking! Didn't you hear them?"

"Of course I heard it, but there's no need to panic. My men have spies on the other side. Their main force hasn't finished assembling yet. That orc unit just now acted on its own."

"????"

Dick's words startled Hoffman, who thought Dick was being a bit too optimistic. But he quickly realized what he meant and thought, "Good grief, you still dare to leave your men on the other side?"

It's important to know that orcs have excellent tracking abilities; their sense of smell is as developed as a dog's, and their hearing and eyesight far surpass those of humans. Hoffman had previously sent many scouts to the other side for reconnaissance, but the results were quite heavy, and he hadn't obtained much valuable intelligence. Helpless, Hoffman had no choice but to terminate this ineffective reconnaissance operation.

Soon, many lords within the allied forces gathered together. The orcs' attack caused great anxiety among them, and some were visibly terrified, trembling without realizing it.

The chaotic scene gave Dick a headache. He glanced around and focused on several powerful lords. The expressions on the faces of these big shots were all knowing what was going on.

"Can't you all calm down? The sky hasn't fallen yet!"

The first to speak up and set the tone was another earl, Eugene Banner, who also came from the East.

This burly, bear-like middle-aged man had a thick beard that rivaled that of a dwarf and a shiny bald head. Just his presence alone brightened the entire room.

The old man arrived very late, only last night, but he brought a large army of five thousand men. Behind him stood four spirited young men who bore a striking resemblance to him; they were Eugene's four grown sons.

The Banner family is a prestigious family in the northern part of the empire. They were among the first noble families to venture north and have been fighting against the orcs since their ancestors' time. The family is known as the "Orc Slayers".

Dick, Eugene, and Peter are all earls and the three families that contributed the most troops to the allied forces. Although their relationship with each other is not harmonious, they are at least united at this moment.

In fact, the three of them had already met privately last night for a short meeting and finalized their tactical and strategic arrangements.

Those at the forefront were the powerful lords, not because they were kind-hearted and couldn't bear to let the lesser lords go up and be used as fillers, but because the opponents were really tough to fight. They were afraid that the lesser lords' ragtag armies would collapse too quickly, and they wouldn't have time to step in from behind.

Meanwhile, on the west bank, Kasumi and Ayane were secretly monitoring the ever-growing orc army. These guys had set up camp in the forest, and their numbers had already reached four or five thousand, with more troops arriving one after another.

What bothered the sisters was that the center of the orc camp was emanating an evil aura that made them very uncomfortable, somewhat like the demon god from their original world.

Kasumi wanted to go back and report first, but Ayane wanted to sneak into the camp to find out what was going on.

Fortunately, Momiji arrived just in time to stop Ayane's reckless behavior, which could easily lead to a defeat CG, and brought them a new mission.

Chapter 128: It is impolite not to reciprocate.

As night fell, a light snow quietly fell, and the camp in the forest became noisy. The roars of orcs fighting and the screams of human prisoners rose and fell, and the scene was like a painting of hell.

Nege sat in front of the fire, oblivious to everything around him.

If he were the commander, with the military knowledge he learned from his teacher, he would never have allowed the camp to be in such a mess. Even the outer sentry posts were set up carelessly, and there were no people assigned to patrol and check them, causing many sentries to be lured away by the fun in the camp.

Neg tried to report these situations to some of the leaders in the camp, but all he got in return was ridicule and humiliation.

The reason is simple: Nege suffered a defeat, and it was the very first battle of the war, a complete and utter defeat!

Other orc forces invaded human territory from the west, burning, killing, and looting as if they were in an empty field. Seeing how badly Negri had been beaten, they naturally looked down on him.

Of course! Another reason that I can't say outright is jealousy.

Neg was once Ramon's most favored child, and many people had long disliked him.

Feeling neglected and unwelcome, Rag had no one to confide in. He didn't resent Ramon's punishment, after all, he had made a grave mistake, causing the loss of nearly ten thousand men, and killing him wouldn't have been too much of a crime. But Ramon still gave him a chance to redeem himself by appointing him as the vanguard officer.

To Nege's dismay, Ramon did not send him with the main force to fight the toughest passes, but instead sent him with the sweeping troops to advance eastward.

The eastward sweeping force numbered about 30,000, but not long after breaking away from the main force, they dispersed in their original tribes and ran around like wild dogs.

The commander of the sweeping army appointed by Ramon paid no attention to any of this. He led his tribe's troops to plunder and pillage to their heart's content. After capturing a human lord's castle, he lived a carefree and happy life there.

Traditional orcs are like this: accustomed to being disorganized and undisciplined, they don't see any fundamental difference between fighting and raiding; they just howl and charge forward in a swarm. Their submission to the Beast King Ramon is merely because he has the biggest fist and is the most waaagh brat on the wasteland!

At that moment, a tall figure staggered over. Nege looked up and saw that it was his adjutant, Shahu. This guy was originally Ramon's personal guard, sent by Ramon to assist and protect Nege.

Unlike other foolish orcs, Shahu was a rather shrewd fellow. It is said that he was captured by humans when he was young, first as a slave, and later became a gladiator. Because he grew up among humans, he also picked up some of their cunning. Later, he seized an opportunity to escape back to the wasteland and joined Ramon's army.

Although this guy seems like a scoundrel, he's actually quite capable. That day, when they were ambushed by human cavalry, if it weren't for the protection of the Shahu, Nege would have almost lost his life.

With the teacher transferred, Shahu was the only confidant Nege could confide in.

"Young boss, don't look so gloomy, come and have a drink!"

"what is that?"

"This is called wine, it's made by humans from grain. Back when I was a gladiator, every time I came out of the arena alive, I'd get a big cup as a reward. It's a real treat; after drinking it, you feel completely dizzy, and all your worries disappear!"

As Shahu spoke, he handed the bottle to Neg. Neg hesitated, took it, smelled it, and then took a sip. He immediately coughed from the spicy, burning taste, while Shahu let out a mischievous laugh, a laugh that seemed to have been a great success in his prank.

"Cough cough... What the hell is this thing!?"

"Haha! This is how it is the first time you drink it. You get used to it quickly and then you can't live without it. Come on, have another sip."

Nege clearly couldn't stand the smell, so he handed the bottle back to Shahu, who then sat down next to him, took a big gulp, and smacked his lips with obvious enjoyment.

Seeing that Nege's expression was still very gloomy, Shahu patted him on the shoulder in a carefree manner.