1003: Chapter 128: Following Bad Examples_3 1003: Chapter 128: Following Bad Examples_3 Every second on the battlefield is precious, and organized defenders are an entirely different concept in combat power compared to disorganized ones.
Duke Daniel, who personally commanded this surprise attack, gazed at the battlefield with indifference.
Clearly, his heart was anything but calm.
This cross-border raid, in fact, he had learned it from Hudson.
However, in its application, he had made some flexible changes.
Taking advantage of the enemy’s poor rear defenses and using the cover of night, he led the Cavalry across the boundary defenses and straight into the strategic location behind enemy lines, launching a surprise attack.
There are limited quality ports in the north, and even fewer that have been developed.
Batelyn Port is the only major port developed by the Kingdom of Alpha in the Northland.
It could be said without reservation that after taking this place, the difficulty of transporting strategic materials for Alpha Kingdom’s northern line would double.
Cutting off strategic material transportation and destroying storage sites of strategic materials clearly aimed to starve the frontline defenders.
Indeed, this was a necessity.
Fighting the Orc Empire head-on might not necessarily yield much advantage.
Even if the Kingdom of Alpha were defeated, if their own strength were severely damaged, they would also be powerless to prevent the Prairie Seven Kingdoms from re-emerging.
The strength of the Human Alliance had been personally experienced by them.
Daniel was very clear that the current Orc Empire was no match for the Human Race.
“Use up all the Magic Scrolls we traded from the Elf Race!”
Making this decision, Daniel also felt a pang of distress.
Using Magic Scrolls as siege supplies was thoroughly the behavior of a profligate.
But, in the interest of saving time, he couldn’t afford to care about that.
For this attack, not only did all the main Cavalry forces advance, but all the masters of the Orc Empire were mobilized as well.
It could be said this was an all-in gamble.
If the front-line defenders of the Alpha Kingdom were to become aware, the Infantry left at the original position would be in danger.
There wouldn’t be an annihilation of the whole army, but a severe loss was inevitable.
Had it not been for Duke Daniel fooling the Five Great Emperors into staying back and acting first and reporting afterward, such a battle plan would never have been approved.
The involvement of Magic Scrolls made the war even fiercer, and the sky above also radiated with multicolored brilliance.
Now and then, flames filled the sky, then hail descended from the heavens, and at times, a swath of meteors burst forth…
Together with the Magic Strikes, countless Orc masters took the lead and charged at the forefront of the battle, leaving the defenders dizzy and disoriented.
Similar battles were being fought continuously across the Northern Frontier, with nearly a dozen strategic locations of the Alpha Kingdom being attacked almost simultaneously.
Those who managed to organize a defense were considered to have performed well, while many defenders who hastily engaged in battle didn’t even understand what was happening before the enemy was upon them.
A group of officers sent out distress signals amidst confusion; everyone knew they were under enemy attack, but beyond that, they were completely in the dark.
Marquis James, who was in command of the front line, couldn’t sleep.
Although he did not know what had happened, he always felt something was amiss.
“Immediately dispatch Gryphon Dragon Cavalry to patrol the defensive lines and order the front-line officers to strengthen their vigilance to guard against enemy sneak attacks!
If any enemy movement is discovered, report back to me at once.”
With an additional order given, his heart finally eased slightly.
It was his first time commanding such a large army alone, and his heart was also quite uneasy.
Fortunately, as the defending side, the scope of troop movements was relatively smaller.
Although there were quite a few messes, overall, it was controllable.
But with the early collapse of the first line of defense, his confidence gradually waned.
He had even thought about asking the King for a replacement, but one doesn’t control their own fate in the military.
Everyone knew that sooner or later, Hudson would take command of the Northern Border, but the timing of that had entirely different implications.
The King needed him to hold out for a while, and the Major Nobles of the Kingdom needed him to hold the line, even if it meant paying a certain price.
There was no choice, Hudson was not only highly accomplished militarily but also too young and without a single political blemish.
If everyone made an effort now, there could still be a balance of power.
But if allowed to continue unchecked, what could be done for the next generation?
By then, the heads of each household would be Hudson’s former subordinates, inherently inferior.
Even the King would feel powerless against such a powerful vassal.
Unless everyone could ensure they outlived Hudson, preventing him from becoming an elder of the Kingdom, and maintain the balance of power with their seniority.
As these thoughts ended, a middle-aged officer broke into the command post and reported to Marquis James, “Marquis, we have just received word from Borgus Fort’s defenders that enemy Cavalry crossed their defense line this afternoon and haven’t yet returned.”
Orc Cavalry crossing the border was nothing new.
Ever since the outbreak of the war, such incidents had never ceased.
However, these Cavalry would typically penetrate a few dozen miles in, wreak some havoc, and then immediately return to their stations.
But something current situation, where they didn’t return, was unprecedented.
“Why wasn’t something reported earlier?” Marquis James angrily queried.
“Forget it, you all may leave!”
Taking out one’s anger on others was not what a good Commander should do.
Reason told him that he must control his own emotions.
The enemy failing to return was an uncontrollable event; no one could have known in advance.
Merely Cavalry crossing the border to cause damage was supposed to be handled by those below.
If such minor issues were reported up to his level as Commander in Chief, he probably would have been exhausted to death by now.
The Cavalry crossing the border were also taking risks.
If they were to be caught by the Kingdom Army by a fluke, they could be annihilated at any time.
Throughout these days, Orc Soldiers infiltrating the rear had been defeated by the Kingdom Army time and again, even completely annihilated once.
Not having received any news of victory until now meant that enemy Cavalry deep behind lines had not been exterminated.
Suddenly, Marquis James’ expression changed drastically as he stared at the map and blurted out, “This is bad!”