In order to fend off the assault of Luo Ze's troops, the soldiers of Wansheng Country erected defense constructions in several sectors along the border of the Luo Ze Empire.
These defense constructions were largely similar, with the Beastmen using materials on hand, either by sharpening wood and crisscrossing it repeatedly to construct barricades and fences, or piling up stones to form one bunker after another for the Mages to output their magic.
Behind these defense constructions, the Beastmen erected temporary dwellings and built towering sentinel towers.
Sentinels manned the towers twenty-four hours a day so they could detect the human army's movements at the earliest opportunity.
Led by Filo Ack, a troop with an imposing presence was soon noticed by soldiers gazing into the distance from the towers, who urgently rang the alarm bells:
"Report! It's the human army! They are charging towards us, the exact number is currently indeterminable."
The Beastman officer's face hardened as he summoned his subordinates:
"Pass on my order, all units prepare for defense!
We must hold this position.
I know it's difficult, but be ready to sacrifice your lives for the nation.
We mustn't surrender unless absolutely necessary."
The sentinel standing in the makeshift tower looked into the distance once more, his face contorting instantly:
"Urgent situation, their numbers far exceed our expectations, visually estimated to be over ten thousand. I repeat, over ten thousand."
"What did you say? Ten thousand?"
The border war situation between Wansheng Country and the Luo Ze Empire was complex, with forces dispersed across multiple points, and it was rare for such a considerable number of troops to amass at one location.
The Beastman officer pricked up his ears and also caught the sounds carried from afar. He laid down and pressed his ear to the ground to confirm.
The footsteps conveyed through the earth did not lie; the enemy's numbers were far beyond their imagination.
Soon enough, even without pressing their ears to the ground, the Beastmen could hear the cacophony of hoofbeats and roars from Luo Ze Empire's Army approaching.
The Luo Ze Empire's Army was near.
Using "Lightweight" and other speed enhancing magic, Luo Ze Empire's Magicians, while keeping pace with the grand army of the Empire, began chanting their spells intermittently.
As soon as the targets came into range, each magician launched their prepared magic at the Beastman Soldiers who had just finished setting up defenses.
The Beastmen's Magicians quickly raised defensive shields, bracing for the incoming spells.
The disparity of strength between the two sides quickly became apparent.
The Luo Ze Empire's vibrant and colorful magic engulfed the protective shields woven by the Wansheng Country's Magicians, causing several large explosions and ultimately breaking through the Beastmen's defense lines. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel[f]ire.net
The Luo Ze Empire's cavalry, moving at incredibly high speed, reached the Beastmen's defensive works in the moment the explosions ceased, wielding their weapons and plunging into the chaotic ranks of the Beastman Soldiers.
In an instant, the Beastmen's screams rose and fell in a relentless succession.
Many valiant Beastman Soldiers stood their ground, gripping their weapons tightly, and confronted the Luoze forces.
They knew this was a hopeless battle. Surrender—rather than fighting—was the way to stay alive.
But these numerous Luoze Soldiers must have come well prepared, and should they surrender now, the Luo Ze Empire would surely invade deeper into Wansheng Country with the force of a thunderclap.
Fighting meant death, but not fighting could lead to even more people dying.
They reasoned that, even if they could only gain a bit of time, they must delay the onslaught of the Luo Ze Empire.
The war had dragged on for quite some time, they absolutely couldn't let their own front be the first to falter.
Swinging their weapons and utilizing all they had learned, the stationed Beastman Soldiers launched a reckless resistance.
To the troops of Filo Ack, their actions seemed as futile as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
These savage Beastmen had to be utterly crushed without mercy.
As long as anyone dared to hinder the Empire's conquering march, Filo Ack would raise his butcher's knife without a shred of mercy.
All of this was for the glory of the Empire.
Luo Ze Empire's Raiding Force caught Wansheng Country completely off guard and, with an overwhelming force, trampled over one defensive point after another in Wansheng Country, heading straight for the vital cities that needed to be captured.
Filo Ack's troops moved like lightning, hardly pausing during their advance, not even sparing the time to confirm the life and death of some of Wansheng Country's Soldiers, nor to clear the spoils of war.
The situation with other Luo Ze's troops on different fronts was nearly identical.
The reason for the Luo Ze Empire's actions being so rushed was because the tactics adopted by the Luo Ze Empire had a fatal flaw.
Since they had to avoid nearly all of the dense jungles, the paths available to the Luo Ze Empire were far fewer than one might imagine; if the people of Wansheng Country detected their movements and set up ambushes in advance, their offense would come to nothing.
Hence, Luo Ze Empire had played their ace in the form of lightning warfare.
As long as they could outpace the speed at which the Beastmen relayed information and press forward quickly, they could overwhelm the majority of the Beastmen before they had a chance to react.
Most of the soldiers equipped in Filo Ack's troops were cavalry suited for mountainous combat; whether in the mountains or on the plains, these cavalry could exhibit exceptional mobility.
Once they reached flat terrain, the Magicians skillfully summoned carriages, allowing their fellow Soldiers to mount their horses, and that way, they were able to keep up with the pace of the cavalry.
Soon, Filo Ack's troops arrived at the next defensive point.
They once again broke through the Beastman Soldiers' defense line in the simplest and most brutal way, slaughtering the persistently fighting Beastman Soldiers, and then, they dusted off their iron hoofs and continued onwards.
Leaving this pass, the scenery before them was still the barren look of the mountains, with occasional rubble, but most of the landscape was still dominated by low vegetation and yellowed soil, with the air also filled with a hint of sandy dust.
Passing through here, Filo Ack and his troops would inevitably come across some forested areas.
Once there, they would no longer be able to charge as swiftly as before; instead, they would need to be vigilant in every direction.
As specks of greenery appeared before them, the area where Filo Ack could move rapidly was drawing to a close.
On a mountainous area some distance from the forest, Filo Ack spotted another Beastman Army.
This Beastman Army numbered less than two thousand, standing still as if they had caught onto some noises and finally all turned uniformly towards the approaching troops of Filo Ack.
"As expected of Beastmen, to have caught onto our movements so quickly."
Filo Ack sneered in disdain, the Beastman Army that had noticed their arrival did not panic excessively; instead, they stood their ground and calmly organized their defense.
Seeing this, Filo Ack snorted coldly,
"The Beastmen's Army is learning, and they have imitated quite well. But this is merely a poor copy."
Patting his mount, Filo Ack led his troops to accelerate.
The troop stationed on the mountain, with no defensive fortifications around them, likely meant that they were a force sent for forward reinforcement.
This moment was the time to crush them ruthlessly!