Josk and Yuri came back the next morning, both of them in a sorry state. No matter who it was, after being chased by three Great Swordsmen for an entire night, they would still look dejected and dejected like this.
Laurist's order was to seal off the main road between Nubit Port and Hamidas' capital so that news of the attack on Nubit Port would not reach Hamidas' capital. The day before yesterday afternoon, they had led the Scout Battalion to their target, which was the hilly area on the map. After choosing a campsite, they had begun to set up a perimeter. They had also captured a few messengers heading towards Hamidas' capital. Everything was normal.
But after a day, Josk and Yuri discovered that there were more carriages and cavalry on the main road. At first, they were able to stop them, but the number of enemies kept increasing. By the afternoon, there were almost ten thousand people gathered, and they organized their men to attack the scout battalion's temporary defensive line.
Josk and Yuri believed that these enemies must have escaped from Nubit Port. They were very confident and planned to stop all of them, not letting a single one escape. They had the scout battalion occupy the high ground on both sides, sealing off the main road in the middle.
The enemies tried to charge through twice, but failed. They suffered heavy casualties, and the ground was littered with corpses. In the end, the enemies gathered all their forces and split into two groups to attack the high ground on both sides. They also had the escaping carriages gather together and charge through the main road in the middle. This way, the scout battalion could not help but lose sight of the others, and they quickly fell into a chaotic battle.
Josk and Yuri were targeted by three great swordsmen. Josk's godly arrows might be a threat to a first rank swordsman, but they were useless against a second rank swordsman. One of the three was a second rank swordsman, and he chased after Josk relentlessly. If not for Yuri risking his life to save him, Josk might have met with misfortune. The two of them were forced to separate from the main group, and they fought with the three great swordsmen in the hilly area for an entire night. The three great swordsmen only retreated when the sun rose.
When Josk and Yuri regrouped with the scout battalion, they discovered that there were almost a thousand casualties. And this was because the enemies only cared about escaping. They had driven away the scouts on both sides of the high ground, and did not pursue them to the end. Josk and Yuri saw that the two of them were just as exhausted as the soldiers of the Scout Battalion, so they gave up on the chase and led the troops back.
Loriste couldn't voice his bitterness. Josk and the others had made the same mistake of underestimating the enemy as him. They thought that the enemy was a stray dog that was running away, and they thought that they could be killed with one more blow, so they made the decision to intercept them. If they let go of the main road in the middle and only pursued from the sides and the rear, using the long range shots of the scouts and the agility and speed of the cavalry to effectively kill the enemy, the result of the battle would definitely be much greater than the eight thousand corpses they had now …
After waving his hand for Josk and Yuri to retreat to rest, Laurist's expression turned serious. The expedition to the Haneabada Kingdom was not as smooth as he had imagined. The war to destroy a kingdom was not that easy to fight. The enemies at Slave Port were indeed unable to withstand a single blow, but accidents kept happening.
The fleeing enemies left behind nearly eight thousand corpses when they broke through the interception of the scouts, but at least fifteen thousand managed to escape back to the capital of Hamidas, and there was no lack of high-level combat power such as Gold-tier swordsmen and great swordsmen. The capital of Hamidas still had a royal guard army of twenty-eight thousand men. If they recruited the fleeing slave hunters and the young men of the capital, they could form another army of thirty to forty thousand men. That way, they would be able to overwhelm him in terms of military strength.
Laurist calculated the military strength at hand. Two heavy armor divisions and one single-wheeled ballista division had a total of five battalions of fifteen thousand men. However, he had left two heavy armor battalions and one single-wheeled ballista battalion on Syrovas Island. There were only thirty-six thousand men following him on this expedition. Adding on the scout battalion and the Thunderbolt Catapult Battalion, there were a total of fourteen battalions of forty-two thousand men. In addition to his two guard battalions of a thousand men and Sunbarwood's naval army of three thousand men, his total military strength was about forty-six thousand men.
However, Sunbarwood's naval army did not need to go ashore to fight, unless he did not want to return to his family's territory. After going ashore, there were nearly five thousand casualties. Now, he only had about thirty-eight thousand men available. He gave Sunbarwood a Heavy Armor Battalion and a Single-Wheeled Steel Crossbow Battalion to sweep through the surrounding islands. Six thousand men were gone, and he was going to leave a hundred-man Heavy Armor Platoon on each of the twenty-seven islands to defend. That way, he would lose another battalion. In addition, he had to leave two heavy armor battalions and one single-wheeled ballista battalion in Nubit City. This way, he could only send twenty thousand men to the capital of Hamidas …
Laurist wanted to cry but had no tears. It was only when the time came that one regretted not having enough soldiers. With these twenty thousand men going to the capital of Hamidas, forget about attacking the city, it would be good enough if they were not surrounded. If he was the king of the Haneabada Kingdom, he could ruthlessly gather the young slaves around the capital. With fifty to sixty thousand men, he could coerce them into charging at his camp of twenty thousand men. After using up all the long-range weapons they carried, they could swarm up and attack. That way, even if he could not win, he could at least fight until both sides suffered. Not only would he be able to resolve the crisis of the capital, he could even counterattack Nubit Port.
No, he had to readjust his military strength. The Haneabada Kingdom needed at least a complete heavy armor battalion and three single-wheeled ballista battalions as the main force. In addition to his own one thousand guards, two thousand light cavalry scouts, and one Thunderbolt Catapult Battalion, he would have close to thirty thousand men of twenty-nine thousand. When the time came, he would bring along five newly formed slave guard battalions. By then, he would have more than forty thousand men.
Alas, Laurist let out a long sigh. War was not child's play, and military strength was not as simple as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. But no matter what, he had to be optimistic about the enemy. The more elite armed forces he had, the better. That way, not only would he be able to achieve victory, he could also reduce the number of casualties. As for the newly formed slave guard battalions, Laurist did not want to bring them along. Letting untrained slaves enter the battlefield was a double-edged sword. Although it could strengthen his side, when the war broke out, the slaves might be the first to collapse. They would bring chaos and even attack the armed forces of the family.
To the Haneabada Kingdom, it was easy to coerce the slaves. If they did not obey, they would use weapons. After killing too many, the remaining slaves would naturally obey orders obediently. But Laurist could not do that. The Norton Family claimed that they were here to rescue the slaves. They could not possibly force the slaves to fight each other.
A single mistake in strategy had brought about such a serious consequence. If all the enemies in the inner city of Nubit were wiped out, the armed forces of his family would be able to appear under the Hamidas Kingdom's capital. Even if they could not launch a sneak attack, they would still be able to catch the enemy off guard and trap them in the city. Then, the plains around the capital would become the territory of his family's armed forces. He could then mobilize the slaves to reinforce the armed forces and surround the Hamidas Kingdom's capital.
Now, he had to prepare for a field battle. The king of the Haneabada Kingdom would definitely send troops. The fact that so many people had escaped from the inner city meant that the Norton Family did not have many troops on land. No one was stupid enough to sit and wait for death. Next, the Haneabada Kingdom would recruit soldiers to form an army to test the waters. They would also try to chase the Norton Family's armed forces into the sea.
Calling over the guards, Laurist ordered a few Golden Knights and Master Swordsman Erik to come to the castle in the inner city at night to hold a meeting to discuss a new strategy.
At night, the hall of the castle in the inner city was brightly lit by candles.
Laurist pointed at the map of the Haneabada Islands and explained the current situation.
Bofinger asked, "Sir, are you saying that we can no longer send troops to attack the Hamidas Kingdom's capital?"
"Borg, if you were the king of the Haneabada Kingdom, what would you do after receiving the report from the people who escaped from Nubit Port?" Laurist asked.
Bofinger thought for a moment. "I would send troops immediately. First, we would occupy the hilly area in the middle and set up camps and defensive positions to prevent the enemy from entering the plains where the capital is. Then, we would send scouts to investigate the enemy's actual strength and arrangements. We would also recruit soldiers to form an army. If the enemy doesn't have enough troops, we would immediately send troops to recapture Nubit Port and chase them into the sea."
"Not bad, Borg. Your response is perfect. We don't know if the enemy will do what you did, but we have to make sure that they are smarter. We can't be careless. Tomorrow morning, the reorganized three heavy armor battalions and two single-wheeled ballista battalions must head to the hilly area to set up a defensive line and seize the main road to the plains.
This unit will be led by Ross the Ferocious Tiger, with Malek as his vice commander. Borg is injured, so he will be stationed at Nubit Port. Josk, Yuri, there are still two thousand light cavalry in the scout battalion. Apart from being on guard and investigating the enemy's movements, you also have to protect Ross and Malek's retreat. This is to prevent the enemy from sending small groups of scouts to spy on us and destroy our rear. Also, you have to send troops to sweep through the slave farms on the plains and free the slaves. Do your best to create chaos in the enemy's rear. Don't let the enemy easily gather their supplies in the capital and prepare to fight a protracted war with us. Understood? "
Laurist slammed his fist on the map.
"Understood, sir," Josk and Yuri replied at the same time.
"You have to be careful and preserve your strength. Don't fight to the death with the enemy. Our advantage is that we are light cavalry, and we can easily shake off the enemy's pursuit. The Kingdom of Haneabada doesn't produce horses, and it's said that the king only has a troop of eight hundred cavalry. They are still infants compared to our cavalry. If you have the chance, find a way to eat them.
On the other hand, if you cause chaos in the Royal City Plains, then the enemies will definitely hate you to the core. Perhaps there will be many enemies sent after you, including Great Swordsmen. You can let Ferocious Tiger Ross and Malek set up a trap in advance, lure the enemies in, and use steel crossbows to deal with them. Don't be hot-headed and use light cavalry scouts to fight the enemy like yesterday, "Laurist warned.
"Yes, sir, we will be careful," Josk and Yuri's faces reddened.
"Borg, it's very important for you to guard Nubit Port. There were eight heavy armor battalions sent out by the family, but almost one of them has died. There are also a thousand light cavalry scouts and two single-wheeled ballista companies, which add up to five thousand men. I've already ordered Sunbarwood to temporarily stop sweeping the surrounding islands and gather his forces. When he sends his men back, organize two heavy armor battalions and one single-wheeled ballista battalion and send them to the Ferocious Tiger Ross at the frontlines. In addition, order Ovikis' Thunderbolt Catapult Battalion to go with them. They will be the main force we will send to the Hamidas Capital.
All the wounded will be gathered in the inner city, which will be temporarily defended by a heavy armor battalion and a single-wheeled ballista company. I'll leave a company of five hundred guards for you, and send the other company to the frontlines. I'm going to disband the remaining heavy armor battalion. All the soldiers will be sent to the newly formed ten slave guard battalions as basic officers, so that the ten slave guard battalions will have preliminary combat ability.
I'll give you five days to organize the ten slave guard battalions. Send five slave guard battalions to the frontlines to assist the main force in defense and field training, so that they can have combat ability as soon as possible. Assign two of the remaining five slave guard battalions to Sunbarwood, as well as the remaining single-wheeled ballista company to continue sweeping the islands. The other three guard battalions will be responsible for transporting supplies to the frontlines and guarding the rear.
We've occupied Nubit Port, so we have sufficient supplies, rations, and equipment. We don't need to worry about a lack of supplies for now. All the equipment needed to form these ten slave guard battalions can be allocated from the seized equipment. They will be the family's reserve force when we go to war, and will no longer have anything to do with the slave camp.
So we must be careful when selecting soldiers. They will be treated the same as our regular family forces. Their families can live in the inner city, take care of our wounded, and do chores for us. There will be corresponding remuneration for all of this. Do you understand? "
Bofinger nodded. "Yes, sir. I will make them submit as soon as possible, and make them proud to be a soldier of the Norton family. However, Sir, after recruiting these ten slaves from the slave camp, who is going to maintain the order in the Garrison Camp? There are already 230,000 slaves today. "
"I have ordered Hikard and Kamen, who are in charge of the slave camp, to fully cooperate with your actions. After recruiting these ten slave guard camps, they will continue to select suitable candidates to form a garrison team. Each island that has been swept will be guarded by a garrison team of a hundred to three hundred people. Two garrison camps will also be formed in the slave camp. The remaining slaves will form a fishing fleet, a harvesting team, a transport team, and so on. They will try their best to let all the slaves have something to do instead of staying in the camp with nothing to do … …"
Josk, Yuri, make a trip to the slave camp before you leave tomorrow. Kamen has arranged a team of slaves for you. They are very familiar with the royal city's plains, and know where the slave farms are. They also know many of the slaves there. With them as guides, it will be easier for the slaves there to believe that we are going to rescue them. "
"Yes, sir," Josk replied.
"Ingerick, you will also set off with Roth and the others to guard the frontlines. That's the basic arrangement. Does anyone have any other opinions? "Lollister asked.
Ingerick stood up. "Sir, we have delayed the date of the expedition to the capital of Hamidas. According to your arrangement, this war may last for a while. The Kingdom of Haneabada should know why we are here. Will they retaliate against the family knights and soldiers who have fallen into their hands?"
Well, the old man was still worried about the safety of his precious granddaughter, Fatty Shi, but this was inevitable and human nature.
Lollister replied with a smile, "I received good news this afternoon. The guards who went to clean up the battlefield and inspect the results of the scout camp reported to me that the old man who had seen my messenger died on the road. So tonight, Tagger and I will set off overnight to the capital of Hamidas and try to rescue the family knights and soldiers in the arena.
If the Kingdom of Haneabada sends troops, the greater the blow you give them in the hills, the longer the confrontation lasts, and the safer my operation will be. In addition, you have to take it easy. Don't beat the other side too hard and let them retreat and defend themselves, trapping us in the capital as well. It would be best if you occasionally show that you can't hold on and give up some unimportant defensive positions in front, making the enemy think that they can win if they work harder. "
Everyone laughed. Josk said, "Sir, why don't I go with you to the capital?"
Lollister laughed. "You can't. Maybe the three great swordsmen still remember you. You will be discovered as soon as you show up. Don't say anything else. No one should think about going with me. The sudden appearance of an unfamiliar gold swordsman will make people suspicious. The enemy isn't really a fool. I'll go with Tagger. That's all. You still have a lot of work tomorrow. Just don't let me down. "
"Yes, sir."
… …
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