In the year 2520 of the Empire calendar, a decisive battle began in a swamp ten kilometers away from Newland.
It was still raining, and King Harold's army seemed to have gotten used to the endless rainy season. When both sides tried to enter the battlefield, no one took the initiative to attack.
This was because in the middle of the battlefield was a large swamp. It was extremely muddy, and there was no way to find a path. No matter who it was, the side that took the initiative to attack would have to endure a difficult battle.
What was even more troublesome was that there were a large number of monster war gangs in Harold's army. These monster war gangs were disorganized, but their combat power was ferocious. With the addition of Tzeentch's army, Harold had more wizards than the knights' army.
The knights that the Brittanians were so proud of were unable to charge through the swamp and make a detour. Therefore, they had to face the barbarians head-on. This was exactly what Harold hoped for. Once they were involved in a large-scale melee battle, the barbarians would obviously have an advantage over the Brittanians.
On the other side of the battlefield, Laing, who was riding on Griffin Imprius, was also observing Harold's formation.
"The barbarians have divided their army into two lines. The middle of the army has formed an extremely tight shield wall." Laing said to the marshals, "The two sides are large groups of monster gangs, and the elite barbarian champions and Tzeentch's wizards are hiding at the back."
"Your Majesty, if we attack by force, we will have to face the barbarians' solid shield wall and chaos magic attacks." François said to Laing, "If we rush to the front of the shield wall, we will have to face the barbarians' specialization in close combat. This is not good for us."
"Yes, Your Majesty, this is not good for us," Kalad said.
"Yes." Leon looked at Harold's army formation from afar. Due to the unique terrain and strange weather of Obien, the advantages of a knight's army could not be fully utilized. This included cannons and naturally, the knights' charge. The barbarian in front of him had chosen a good location.
However, the Knight Dao Army had its own advantages.
First of all, although the troops under Leon's command came from the various duchies of Brittania, most of them were professional soldiers or semi-professional soldiers. Even the most incompetent serf infantry regiments had participated in many wars and had rich combat experience.
In terms of equipment and weapons, the barbarians could not compare to the Brittany soldiers. Most of the barbarians only had cloth and leather armor as protection, while the Brittany serf infantry were equipped with breastplates and leather armor. The elites were even equipped with chain mail and scale armor. Everyone wore iron helmets.
Although the Brittany muskets could not be used, the Brittany army still had thousands of archers and crossbowmen. A dozen cannons were pulled out and ready to be loaded. There were also the Brittany knights. In fact, although the muddy swamp made it difficult for the knights to play, Laing had a divine scroll......
Eight-ring divine art, Cloud Dash.
Then the problem was very simple.
Laing ordered the army to be divided into three groups. The left wing would be commanded by François, the right wing by Kalad, and his own Royal Guards and Davu's Musillon Legion as the center. Just like ancient Rome, they formed a three-line formation. The archers were in front, the infantry at the back, and the heavy cavalry and the Old Guard at the back.
In the cold drizzle of Obien, war was about to break out.
Obien's unique fog made it difficult to see clearly. Even the barbarian army in the distance was faintly discernible. So he focused his attention on the Nord Marine Corps. This elite force was not much stronger than most of the Brittanian forces, but there was something special about this Marine Corps.
They were especially good at fighting the enemy on the beach, in storms, in the rainy season, and in swamps. This was almost all of Obien Island, so Laing specifically called for this army to provide support.
The general of the Nord Marines was called Sigurdson, nicknamed the "Cannon" of Nord. He was said to be brave in battle, but also had a fiery temper. He was an old general, and his sideburns were already slightly white. No one knew which general he was in this army. The only thing that was certain was that this old general was not very willing to listen to Laing's orders. He was ordered to be in the second line formation, and he seemed to be a little tired.
"You don't seem to be optimistic about our war?" Laing asked Sigurdson as he rode down from the sky on his griffin. "You think we'll lose?"
"We won't lose. I just feel tired." Sigurdson shook his head. "Very tired."
"Very tired? Actually, I think we're the ones with the most energy. The barbarians on the other side rushed 120 to 150 kilometers in four days to reach us, but we rested for four days. You Nords also rested for two days. How can you be tired? "Laing asked casually.
"If we're talking about this battle alone, we're full of energy." Sigurdson exhaled, his beard already wet from the rain. "But if we're talking about the Nords … Do you know that before you Brittany appeared, we Nords and these damned barbarians were already fighting this war? We don't need your orders. We know how to win this war ourselves."
Laing sighed, not knowing what to say. Marshal Rokossovsky came to Laing's side. "We're the same, Your Majesty," he said calmly. "Mrs. Kiesler and the Ugor have been fighting the barbarians for more than a thousand years, just to survive."
"But before that!" Rokosovski suddenly drew his sword and pressed it against Sigurdson's throat. Luo Shuai's expression became extremely serious and even filled with hatred. "Nord, I will not allow you to speak to the great Knight King in such a manner."
"What? Ugor, you want to kill me? " Sigurdson drew his sword as well. "Then come at me. I know you, Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. The Nords have your name. Do you want to try?"
"Enough! General Sigurdson. " Laing lowered his head and glanced at the general. "Listen to my orders. Don't make me say it again!"
An inexplicable fear almost engulfed General Nord's soul. He could feel the substantial pressure coming from the Sun King. The old general was sure that Leon would really kill him if he disobeyed his orders.
"Have your marines wait for my orders," Laing said coldly.
Sigurdson nodded in silence.
Then, Knight King signaled the horn to blow.
Under the morning sun, the battle began!
The Brittany serfs, archers, longbowmen, and crossbowmen struggled to advance through the swamp under the orders of the knights. Their ranks were scattered, but not chaotic. Opposite the knights, the barbarians formed what was probably the tightest shield wall in history. They used round shields to cover the front and the top. Shrouded in rain and fog, it looked like a small city wall, indestructible.
One row, two rows, three rows of shields. The barbarian warriors were tightly united under Harold's command. They didn't intend to give the Britanians any chance to escape.
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
Dense rain of arrows flew towards the barbarians' huge shield wall. Most of the arrows bounced off the shields. Obviously, bows and crossbows were ineffective against this tortoiseshell formation.
"Have the archers stop shooting," Laing ordered. "Have the soldiers press forward!"
"Veronica! It's up to you now, "Laing shouted at Veronica.
Veronica nodded. She stood on her Magic Ride of Light and began to condense her magic. Due to the lack of time and the terrain, Veronica's Magic Ride of Light had yet to be retrofitted to the Land Cruiser. Leon was glad that this was the right decision because the Land Cruiser would not be able to perform its function in a place like Obien.
At the same time, under the control of the engineers, a dozen mortar cannons were fired at the barbarians' shield wall. In the whistling sound of the wind, the fragmentation bombs flew into the air, drawing a perfect parabola.
"Boom!" The explosion blasted a few small holes in the barbarians' shield wall. However, the Brittany army was still quite a distance away from the barbarians' shield wall. The Chaos wizards in the barbarians' formation continued to cast Chaos spells, blocking the power of the mortar cannons and strengthening the shield wall's defense. Hundreds of magic light bullets bombarded the advancing soldiers. Veronica's witches then began to play their role. The magic duel between the two sides continued in the sky.
The infantrymen slowly advanced under the pressure. It took them nearly half an hour to traverse a distance of two to three hundred meters in the muddy swamp. When the Brittanian army approached the barbarian's shield wall from three directions with their shields raised, the barbarians were in an uproar. Hundreds of Berserkers and barbarian warriors could no longer resist the urge to rush out of the shield wall and fight it out with those damned Southerners.
"Steady! Don't move! " Harrod galloped into the formation on his warhorse and ordered his troops to not move. The barbarians reluctantly obeyed his order and decided to retaliate with javelins and throwing axes. The Brittany soldiers who rushed to the front were knocked down by the javelins and axes. The soldiers behind, eager for military glory, rushed forward and blocked the projectiles with their shields. When the barbarians roared in praise of the Four Gods of Chaos, the Brittany finally began to move forward. The swordsmen clenched their longswords, the spearmen lowered their center of gravity, and the halberd-wielders puffed out their chests.
Like a fist of steel, the Brittany army smashed into the barbarians' shield wall.
"It's begun!" Laing thought.
The battle reached its climax from the very beginning. The brave Britanians knew that their king was watching them. The sound of weapons clashing against the shield wall rang out one after another on the battlefield. Then, the weapons pierced into flesh. Spears clashed against shields, sharp swords slashed open armors. The halberd-wielders used their sharp halberds to split open the wooden shields of the barbarians. The battle axes of the barbarians left deep dents in the breastplates of the Britanians. Both sides were locked in a battle. Along the two-thousand-meter long battle line, both sides engaged in a full-scale battle.
Not only was the battle boring, but it was also a battle of attrition.
There was no other way. There was no other choice in fighting in the swamp.
"I now suspect that this Harrod must have been to Rome as a barbarian palace guard." Laing said to Rokossovsky who was standing beside him, "He's really good at using this tortoiseshell formation."
Rokossovsky did not know what Rome was, but he knew what the tortoiseshell formation and palace guard were. So the marshal replied calmly, "Your Majesty, the tortoiseshell formation is only useful under certain circumstances. Now, we just need to let our troops continue to press forward. The barbarians will not be able to resist our attack."
"But we will have to pay more casualties." Laing seemed to be weighing the pros and cons.
"What we need now is patience." Luo Shuai did not follow Laing's words. Instead, he looked at the battlefield.
The loud military song of La Marseillaise gradually suppressed the roars of the barbarians. After fighting for more than half an hour, the Brittany began to gain the upper hand. The soldiers brought by Laing were all brave and experienced veterans. Under the command of François and Kalad, they steadily pushed forward and forced the barbarians to retreat. Every explosion of the mortar cannons could kill dozens of barbarians. Some of the barbarian champions used their greatswords and greataxes to sweep the battlefield. Their appearance once swung the balance of the battlefield back and forth.
However, the number of barbarian champions was far less than that. François waved his hand coldly, and the Vanford Unicorn Guards appeared. These duchy elites used their halberds and greatswords to push forward and cut the barbarian champions into pieces.
"Flaming Skull!" A flaming skull more than ten meters in size burned through a row of shield walls. Veronica's magic was activated. The witches had successfully suppressed the magic of the Chaos Wizards. The female president stood on the magic of light and continued to cast spells.
"Meteorite!" A meteorite more than ten meters in diameter exploded in the middle of the barbarian army. The entire shield wall was shattered. The barbarians were still trying their best to maintain their line of defense. However, under Veronica's indiscriminate bombardment, their poor discipline began to show some small problems. Many of the young barbarian warriors and berserkers forgot Harold's order and rushed out of the originally tight formation. They may have hoped to turn the situation around by charging fearlessly, but it did not help them at all. Instead, it caused the barbarian army to fall into chaos. These reckless idiots not only died in vain, but also disrupted their own line of defense.
Laing looked at the scene with satisfaction. The Knight King knew that not only would the barbarians' courage not help them in this battle, but it would also cause them to sink into the swamp and become lambs waiting to be slaughtered. However, just as Laing was about to order more troops to launch a fatal blow, a dragon's roar suddenly came from the sky. A Chaos Dragon rushed out from the thick fog and rain of Obien and rushed directly toward the Brittany army!
"Dragon!"
"It's a dragon!"
The Chaos Dragon swooped down from the sky and breathed out dark red Chaos Dragon Breath. In an instant, hundreds of Brittany were engulfed in flames and turned into charcoal.
Zech's Chosen One, the former Archmage of Light of the Empire's Academy of Light, Egrim von Horstmann, had arrived on the battlefield!
The powerful Chosen One laughed wildly as he displayed the Chaos Dragon that Zech had bestowed upon him. He raised his staff and a colorful firestorm instantly engulfed an entire company of Brittany halberd-wielders. The Brittany army instantly changed from a neat and orderly formation to a chaotic group of individuals. Harold was able to catch his breath and quickly ordered his troops to regroup.
However, when Egrim von Horstmann tried to use spells to expand his victory, Laing had already appeared in front of him riding on the griffin Impris.
Sky-blue psionic energy shrouded Egrim's body. A Starry Dragon emerged from the void. Its eyes were like lightning and its claws were burning with white flames. It slapped the Chaos Dragon away.
Egrim did not dare to be careless. He let out a shrill cry and released a thousand ravens and a hundred beams of Zech's flames to form a colorful chain that went straight for Laing.
Laing easily reached out and grabbed the hundred chains in his hand. The Zech's flames on the colorful chain sizzled and even charred his hand. However, as he tightened his grip on the chain, Egrim was horrified to find that he was losing control of the colorful chain. The power of Zech on the chain was gradually being converted into pure and dazzling purifying psionic energy. At the same time, Laing condensed his own power. Ten bald eagles flew out from the shadows behind him and hunted Egrim's ravens to their heart's content.
Zech's Chosen One quickly gave up on the colorful chain. He injected his soul and power into the ravens. His body turned into three phantoms and each phantoms melted into the fog of the subspace.
Laing's calm face did not reveal any trace of confusion. He chanted an ancient language and pointed his finger. Three mysterious ancient sacred runes came out of his mouth. Each rune suppressed the violent magic wind. Zech's flames kept retreating under the power of the runes. One after another, lightning and starlight bombarded the surface of Egrim's soul. Each rune corresponded to a phantoms.
"Ahhhh!" Egrim's seven orifices spurted out black blood. He struggled in agony. His soul turned into ashes under Laing's continuous bombardment. It was like ice under the sun, melting layer by layer.
"It's over." Unknowingly, the five Grey Knight recruits had taken their positions. They chanted the Emperor's holy name together. Five psionic punishments sealed off Egrim's escape route. Zech's Chosen One's blue ravens fell from the sky like raindrops. They were slaughtered into nothingness by the bald eagle. Large amounts of black blood spurted out of Zech's Chosen One's orifices and melted. While Egrim was still struggling, Laing had used psionic energy to condense a silver spear of light.
Zech's Chosen One was about to escape when Laing's Temporal Realm enveloped him. A river of time that belonged to the original Grey Knight trapped Egrim. When the silver spear of light came, Egrim used his sword and staff to block it. "Don't even think about it!"
The magic sword and staff were instantly shattered. Burning ashes swirled in the air. The spear of light pierced through Egrim's body. Purifying psionic energy was injected into his body. His flesh and bones melted in the blinding light. Together with his soul, they turned into nothingness. "No … no … no …"
The unknown black metal that made up the Chaos Cursed Plate melted as the spear of light disappeared. It was boiling hot and bubbling.
The whole process took less than five minutes. Zech's Chosen One, Egrim von Horstmann, the former Archmage of Light who had caused countless disasters and losses to the Empire, had fallen in Obien.
The Chaos Demon Dragon fled in panic. It realized that it was no match for the enemy in front of it.
After successfully dealing with Egrim, Laing refocused his attention on the battlefield. The Sun King raised Mjolnir and a psionic beam of light shot into the sky.
The dark clouds retreated and the rain stopped. The sun had not appeared in Obien's sky for a long time.
The battle was still going on. Laing immediately ordered the second echelon and Davu's Muxilon Legion to join the battle.
Then, Laing summoned Sigurdson and his Nord Marines.
"You guys, press on from the right flank. You can only lose, not win!"
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