Boiling Beast Bloodline-Chapter 1961 - 630: Luring the Enemy into the Trap
A day later, the "Hai Mu Coalition’s" forward army corps arrived at Witherspoon on schedule.
This vanguard corps was entirely composed of elite knights from the Mulan Empire, numbering around 100,000, each matched with a stout, robust chestnut camel.
In the entire vast desert dominated by the Mulan Empire’s Tiele military system, aside from slave warriors, there were originally no infantry units; this desert empire possessed far too many Bactrian and Dromedary camels, so much that even ordinary civilians never lacked means of transportation. The Mulanese, relying on their swift camel cavalry, had destroyed one desert tribe and civilized nation after another that refused to bow down.
For the Bimon, besides signifying that the war had begun, the arrival of this vanguard corps also presented an excellent battle opportunity before Witherspoon, waiting to see if the Bimon dared to seize it. Like the horses of Aegean, camels in the desert also vary in breed, grade, and price; noble-bred, rigorously trained camels have soft, plush humps, and can gallop as swiftly as the wind, remaining calm even on the battlefield, staying quiet even if injured.
The chestnut camels equipped by the vanguard corps were precisely the famous "Lantsang" camels of the Mulan Empire. These invaluable mounts hold a position in the camel world akin to the "Qinghai Con" in the horse world. Each Lantsang camel weighs over half a ton, stands over two meters tall, with thick manes and extraordinary vigor.
Since the Mulanese took the sea route to invade the Bimon Kingdom this time, they couldn’t bring too many mounts. Thus, the majority of Mulan troops without mounts became infantry upon landing. Together with the Sea Clan soldiers who couldn’t use mounts on land either, they were "huffing and puffing" their way on foot toward Witherspoon—the speed of infantry marching is like a tortoise compared to a rabbit when contrasted with the Lantsang camels, thus creating an invisible disconnect between the highly mobile vanguard corps and the main force.
This reasonable battle opportunity was discovered by the Beamon strategists far away on the Chesang Continent, overseeing the "Eye of Saruman." The main force of the "Hai Mu Coalition" wouldn’t arrive at Witherspoon for at least seven days, and given the current military strength of the Northeast Province, there was enough time to wipe out this 100,000-strong vanguard corps.
The great role of large magical equipment in warfare had already been well-verified at the very start. Should it be handled as a conventional battle by dispatching numerous scouts to slowly conduct reconnaissance, even if the same opportunity could be discovered, the time spent would allow the main force of the "Hai Mu Coalition" to arrive at their doorstep.
However, swallowing this 100,000-strong camel cavalry isn’t something that can be achieved with just the twitch of lips.
The Mulan General in charge of leading this vanguard unit is no fool. He wasn’t arrogant enough to attempt a forced siege with just cavalry alone. After arriving at Witherspoon, the Mulan cavalry first whirled around the city, scouting the surrounding terrain and seeking any lurking enemy forces.
Once all the basic tasks were completed, this vanguard corps leisurely set up camp 30 miles outside Witherspoon City.
Troops of light cavalry patrolled outside Witherspoon City continuously according to different times, their eyes vigilant.
Inside Witherspoon City, there are now two differing opinions on how to deal with these 100,000 Mulan cavalry.
The first opinion naturally is to sally out and fight, to consume these 100,000 Mulan cavalry.
The reason is very simple: If we don’t seize this opportunity to eliminate this force now, when the enemy’s main forces arrive, these Mulanese will sooner or later climb the city walls to engage with the Beamon warriors in battle. If they are taken down now, it would mean alleviating future pressure; obtaining their supplies would be highly beneficial to Witherspoon. The fresh meat from slaughtering 100,000 camels, stored away in the snow-capped mountain caves of Florentine, would feed the entire city for a long time in the future.
The second opinion is to hold steady and ignore these 100,000 Mulan cavalry.
The reasoning is equally compelling. The Donau Wasteland is overly flat, inherently most suitable for cavalry operations. Currently, Witherspoon relies mainly on infantry. Only by relying on the tall city walls can there be maximum damage dealt to the enemy. Once a battle takes place outside the city, massive casualties might occur under the impact of the Mulan cavalry! To speak rhetorically, even if the Beamon infantry has the strength to defeat the Mulan cavalry, the Mulanese could simply retreat. With the mobile capability of camel cavalry, the Beamon warriors wouldn’t be able to catch up.
Brut is a proponent of the first doctrine, while General Reyes insists on the second viewpoint.
Liu Zhenhan didn’t participate in this irrelevant discussion; whatever he’s supposed to do, he’ll do. As for how others deploy and plan, that’s their business.
"Brut, your appetite is indeed too big! We simply cannot consume these 100,000 camel cavalry in one gulp!" Though a bit conservative, General Reyes spoke the truth: "We currently lack sufficient cavalry; without cavalry, we cannot pin down the opponent. Without pinning down the opponent, it’s just empty talk. Worse, we might end up being defeated by them! Though our forces are twice the size of theirs, most of us are infantry, while all the Mulanese are cavalry! Even if we had 200,000 Orephin warriors here in Witherspoon, we wouldn’t be able to wipe out this enemy! I also want their supplies, but that’s simply not realistic!"
