1033: Chapter 140: Military Soul_2 1033: Chapter 140: Military Soul_2 The frequent loss of the Expeditionary Army’s position was largely due to the Hawkman soldiers being tormented.
Not only were the ordinary soldiers suffering heavy casualties, but even two of the Eighth-order Eagle Warriors lost their lives during missions.
“Captain Laimer, what are you standing around for, send someone to call for reinforcements quickly!” the Tiger Clan Chief roared.
Had it been in the past, he would never dare speak to a member of the Royal Family in such a manner, but times had changed.
After a series of blows, the Five Great Royal Clans, whose power had sharply diminished, found it difficult to maintain their oppressive rule over the vassal races.
In order to counter the great enemy, the Human Race, the Five Royal Clans had to ally themselves with the strong factions within the Empire, allowing some powerful species to gradually gain some say.
“Our speed, no matter how fast, cannot outpace the beacon smoke.
I know you don’t have beacon smoke—just produce some smoke to send out the message.
Judging by the distance, your route is off by only a few dozen miles; Marshal Daniel should be able to receive the message.”
Laimer said irritably.
It finally gave him an excuse to bluff his way through.
Being a Messenger Soldier was no easy task; had he known it was this dangerous, he would have stayed at the frontline.
The fully staffed regiment that had set out was now reduced by one-third of its troop strength, and morale had long since evaporated.
This time, his own Tribe had suffered severe losses; if the losses continued, he feared that after the war, they could not escape being absorbed.
In the Orc Empire, tribes that lost a large portion of their young and strong had no right to continue existing.
Once absorbed by other tribes, the best outcome for those in power would be to become marginal figures.
If it weren’t for this, he wouldn’t have cooperated with the vassal races below to shirk duties.
As members of the Five Royal Clans, besides playing the roles of Messenger Soldiers, they also served as the “supervising army” dispatched by the Empire.
The Tiger Clan Chief, having come to his senses, had no mind to attend to Laimer’s veiled threat, hurriedly ordered to the Guard nearby, “You there, quickly find something to make smoke, and be fast!”
Eighty miles away, with the large army hurriedly returning, Marshal Daniel was galloping wildly when suddenly a guard’s voice rang out.
“Marshal, there’s beacon smoke!”
He quickly steadied his mount and looked around, and Daniel was stunned.
Beacon smoke was visible in all directions, with more than ten plumes visible to him alone.
Instantly, he knew something was wrong.
It was unlikely for the enemy to divide their forces to attack multiple paths; there were also not so many dense Orc tribes nearby.
It was highly likely that the enemy had realized the threat of beacon smoke and had attempted to mix the false with the true, trying to confuse their vision.
Unfortunately, knowing this changed nothing.
Beneath the dense beacon smoke, no one was able to accurately determine the real direction of the enemy’s attack.
It was not possible to divide the forces to reinforce multiple directions simultaneously, was it?
“Pass the order down, the army is to halt and rest on the spot.
Command all Hawkmen to go out for reconnaissance, and I need clear answers about the enemy’s position, anyone who disobeys will be put to death!” Daniel ordered coldly.
This arrangement would definitely offend the Hawkman Court, but there was no choice, as war always required sacrifices.
In this critical moment of witting against Hudson, Daniel did not want any mishaps.
Being temporarily at a disadvantage did not matter, this was the Orc Empire.
No matter how formidable the Expedition Army was, they could not stay for long.
Time was on their side, and as long as the enemy could not escape, the longer the delay, the greater their chance of victory.
Daniel clung tenaciously to the Expeditionary Army Corps, not out of concern for the Orc tribes but because he feared Hudson could escape with his troops.
Having the Expeditionary Army wreak havoc within the Empire had caused immeasurable losses; if he could not detain the enemy, he would have no way to explain himself to the Five Great Emperors above.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
Arrow rain flew again, and numerous Orc Cavalry fell in response.
This was the last reserve of arrows for the Expedition Army; once depleted, the Magic Crossbows would become merely decorations.
Originally meant for the Orc Main Army, Hudson now had to use them earlier for a swift decision.
Even second-rate Cavalry was still Cavalry, barely worth the expenditure.
If used on cannon fodder infantry, that would be a real loss.
Speaking bluntly, many Orc slaves weren’t worth a specially made arrow.
While it seemed like a rain of arrows was being shot, in reality, it was money being shot.
In the era of handcrafting, the cost of making arrows was never cheap, and the price for arrows specially used with Magic Crossbows was even higher.
You get what you pay for.
These arrows were expensive, and they had good reason to be.
Ordinary arrows could not penetrate Armor.
The high penetrative power of crossbow arrows was based on the arrows being sufficiently sturdy and sharp.
Every major battle was like spending money like running water.
The Kingdom’s financial deficits, a fifth of which was caused by the consumption of expendable military items like arrows, Knight’s Spears, and throwing spears.
On the battlefield, where speed is of the essence, the enemy’s failure to immediately send reinforcements gave the Expeditionary Army an opportunity.
Though it seemed like thirty-five thousand against fifty thousand, in local battlefields, it was actually the human forces that outnumbered.
The five Legion Commanders had all taken up their positions recently, the longest-serving having been in office for less than a while, were unable to streamline.internal commands before being forced onto the battlefield.
With the Commander in Chief absent, and the Legion Commanders lacking enough authority, the troops below quickly fell into factional fighting along tribal lines.
“You fools, act quickly…”