Merchant From Earth in the Magical World-Chapter 457 - 377 Group Battle Begins_2
A substantial part of the Elven army from Frostleaf City was stationed in their Snowland homeland to consolidate Erelado’s power.
Consequently, Frostleaf City’s garrison was naturally much smaller.
Moreover, after an Orc occupation that lasted an entire winter, many of Frostleaf City’s damaged facilities had yet to be repaired.
Facing the aggressively advancing Orc army, Erelado couldn’t help but feel somewhat uneasy.
The situation on the Wildwind Highlands suddenly grew tense.
In the Eternal Domain’s war room, the virtual sand table continuously updated the deployment of forces from all sides.
In response to Frostleaf City’s call for aid, Yan Xing only dispatched a squadron of aircraft to secure the airspace over Frostleaf City.
Erelado’s instructions were also to hold his ground.
Yan Xing judged that the Orcs lacked a strong desire to attack on the Wildwind Highlands. After all, the wilderness had recognized the Wildwind Principality, which was tantamount to acknowledging Anderson’s legitimate rule over the Wildwind Highlands. It was good enough for the wilderness to retain Highland City on the Wildwind Highlands; even if Frostleaf City were captured, it would later be handed over to Anderson. The Orcs lacked the determination to fight to the death for this city. Moreover, the main battlefield on the Wildwind Highlands was at Outpost Fort; the outcome there would determine the true direction of future battles. Even if the Orcs captured Frostleaf City, it would only be a minor gain and couldn’t threaten the Eternal Domain across the Thunderous Swamp. Yan Xing judged that the Orcs’ sortie this time was very likely just for show. Therefore, Frostleaf City did not need excessive support. If the Elves managed to drive the Orcs back quickly, it would actually be detrimental to the Eternal Domain’s performance at Outpost Fort.
When Yan Xing sent air support to Frostleaf City, he also told Erelado that the situation would change after the rainy season, and he should simply focus on defending Frostleaf City until then.
「A day later,」
The Orc army once again advanced upon the gates of Frostleaf City.
Simultaneously, the Wildwind Principality’s army launched a full-scale offensive against the Eternal Domain’s positions at Outpost Fort.
The attack began with the usual magical bombardment.
Just as Count Theodore had told Yan Xing, the Wildwind Principality’s army, through days of grueling attrition warfare, had already identified the Eternal Domain’s fire deployments and some defensive vulnerabilities.
Consequently, in this offensive, the Wildwind Principality’s army’s initial strikes were highly targeted, relentlessly bombarding the Eternal Domain’s fire points.
This was followed by small combat teams advancing to conduct magical pinpoint strikes on any surviving fire points.
Next, elite forces concentrated their strength for a fierce and daring breakthrough at the junctions between the Eternal Domain’s different defensive sectors.
If Yan Xing hadn’t met Count Theodore, the Wildwind Principality’s army would surely have riddled the Eternal Domain’s positions with holes, compelling Yan Xing to deploy his concealed weapons from the rear.
This would have forced Anderson to recognize the true disparity in strength between the two sides.
In the preceding days, Yan Xing had readjusted the firepower and troop deployments on the front lines. This was orchestrated to allow the Wildwind Principality’s army to achieve seemingly impressive breakthroughs, but not to penetrate too deeply. Unable to achieve deep penetration, the Wildwind Principality’s soldiers would be forced to continue a war of attrition against the Eternal Domain’s soldiers in the trenches. This strategy made Anderson’s orchestrated attack appear successful, but only marginally so.
To push forward... if they failed to break through, the assault troops risked being cut off and annihilated. Retreating meant reluctantly giving up the hard-won territory. Defending meant committing more troops to the meat-grinder of trench warfare.
This predicament left Anderson feeling extremely uncomfortable. He hadn’t imagined Yan Xing would deploy so many hidden fire points on the second line, nor had he anticipated the sheer depth of the Eternal Domain’s defenses. The actual battlefield situation deviated significantly from his plans.
However, Anderson was, after all, a general with abundant battlefield experience, having fought countless brutal battles. Since he couldn’t gain a significant tactical advantage, he decided to let fighting spirit determine the war’s outcome. This time, Anderson neither withdrew his troops due to the unfavorable turn of events nor lessened the attack’s intensity. The Wildwind Principality’s army was currently at its peak proficiency with Alchemical Weapons. Further improvement would necessitate one to two years of integration and training. Anderson and Cloud Tower couldn’t afford to wait that long. Moreover, the Wildwind Principality’s army had reached its limit in developing and applying new tactics; more complex tactical coordination would also require time to drill. In other words, even with more preparation, the Wildwind Principality’s army’s combat effectiveness couldn’t be significantly increased in the short term. Waiting for a better opportunity didn’t guarantee one would arise. Instead, it might be better to capitalize on the army’s high morale and maintain a strong offensive against the Eternal Domain’s positions. Perhaps they could find an enemy weakness and secure a decisive victory. Sometimes, the outcome of a war hinged on the soldiers’ combat willpower. Anderson had faith in the army he had personally trained.
「...」
The conflict between the Wildwind Principality and the Eternal Domain didn’t cool down as quickly as the previous two confrontations, which had begun with a storm-like onslaught before rapidly de-escalating.
This time, the Wildwind Principality’s army fought with do-or-die ferocity, launching relentless, savage attacks on the positions controlled by the Eternal Domain.
Soldiers from both sides contested every single trench, as commanders dispatched wave after wave of troops to the front line.
Casualties among front-line combat units skyrocketed.
The entire front line blazed with bullet tracers and magical beams, and the dust kicked up by explosions hung perpetually in the air, never settling.
The highly efficient killing power of alchemical and thermal weapons subjected both armies to a brutal battle, the likes of which neither had ever experienced.
Bloodshed stained the soldiers’ eyes crimson.
A fever pitch of excitement made them forget their fear.
The battle raged from day into night, and from night back into day.
Corpses piled up like mountains, yet the fighting showed no signs of stopping.
The command and logistical systems of both sides were under unprecedented strain.
At that moment, Yan Xing was leading the First Special Combat Squad, racing through a front-line trench.
Anderson had committed his Storm Knights to the battle.
This army, composed entirely of heroes, swiftly tore a gap in the Eternal Domain’s defenses upon joining the battle, allowing follow-up troops to pour through.
With Donna absent, Yan Xing himself had to lead the special combat team to intercept the Storm Knights.
A fireball plummeted from the sky, erupting in a violent explosion nearby.
Yan Xing and his team members simultaneously raised their magic shields, deflecting the fiery blast, then continued running forward, ignoring the fallen bodies.
In the sky, a Deer Hunter Dive Bomber shrieked as it dove, dropping an aerial bomb nearby before pulling up to regain altitude.
However, an unseen attack instantly shredded the dive bomber in mid-air; it disintegrated in a secondary explosion.
The aerial bomb also detonated at that instant.
Churned-up earth blotted out the sky, and countless fragments rained down into the trench.
The concussion made the soldiers’ heads spin, their bodies unsteady.
Chui Chui deploying a dive bomber to intercept the Storm Knights at such close range meant the situation at the front must be truly desperate.
Drawing his Sword of Glory, Yan Xing shouted to his subordinates, "The enemy is just ahead! Follow me and drive them back!"
"KILL!"
The twelve heroes of the First Special Combat Squad drew their blades and followed Yan Xing, charging along the broken trench line.
Various buffing spells flashed between them as they prepared for the imminent clash. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
"Master... there are over a hundred enemies. The exact number of Storm Knights is currently unknown. They just captured one of our circular defensive positions. Unfortunately, the bomb from the sacrificed dive bomber was off-target and didn’t inflict significant casualties on them.
However, it did subject them to severe shockwaves, so now is the best time to attack.
Your Alchemical Combat Puppet Guards have been deployed by transport aircraft. They will reach the battlefield in thirty seconds after their glide.
..."
While Chui Chui reported the battle situation, an aerial reconnaissance image was projected onto Yan Xing’s holographic tactical goggles.
The image feed came from the air-dropped Alchemical Combat Puppets. After their upgrade, they had officially become Yan Xing’s personal guards.
Because they couldn’t deploy with Yan Xing immediately after their upgrade, Chui Chui had them transported to the front lines by transport aircraft and then air-dropped.
The twelve Combat Puppet Guards, equipped with specialized gliding wings, dove in formation. Their optical sensors scanned and mapped the combat zone from above.
Their data links continuously compared the positions of both sides. Factoring in the terrain and the imperative to protect Yan Xing, the system assigned each guard specific landing zones and offensive/defensive tasks.
