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墨書 Inktalez
Yongyang was surrounded. Wang Wei immediately ordered the city guards to disperse primarily along the West City Wall and East City Wall, as these two directions were undoubtedly where the enemy would launch their fiercest attacks.
Without a doubt, the enemy's vanguard struck directly at the West City Wall. The East City Wall was targeted because the enemy would concentrate a large force there to prevent reinforcements from reaching them, making both directions the most intense points of assault.
At the same time, the gates of Yongan City and Anding Gate swung wide open, and nearly ten thousand warriors rode forth towards Yongyang. Their departure stood in stark contrast to the fleeing Yongyang Commoners who had sought refuge in Eternal Peace. Countless people stood silently by the city walls and along the roads, watching the warriors leave with solemn expressions.
Not a single person spoke, not because they did not understand the beliefs of those warriors, but because sometimes silence was the only way to convey the deepest respect when faced with something so noble.
On top of the city tower, the Emperor stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the departing warriors. He calmly asked, "How many troops do you estimate the Three Races Alliance has?"
Chen Rui let out a bitter laugh. "Your Majesty, you never forget to pry into our clan's intelligence. Well, this isn't exactly a secret. As far as I know, the Dragon Court Army has fewer than one hundred thousand troops, the Giant Race has less than one hundred fifty thousand, and the Orc Race should have around four hundred thousand. These numbers are from before their invasion of Great Tang; after several days of attrition, they likely have only about seventy to eighty percent of their original strength left."
The Emperor laughed heartily, though his eyes glimmered with unshed tears.
"Even accounting for losses, they probably still have over four hundred thousand troops. In terms of our army's units, that's equivalent to two hundred thousand heavy cavalry or two million infantry. With such overwhelming forces, what do you think this thousands going to Yongyang will achieve? Isn't it just... a futile sacrifice?"
Chen Rui sighed as he looked at the smoke rising from the battlefield, at the faces of Yongyang Commoners, and at the silhouettes of departing warriors. He fell silent.
"If they don't go, Yongyang won't be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive from various states; but if they do go, Yongyang might just hold on until then. Right now, they are fighting for that possibility."
"Just for a possibility... that's all."
After half an hour of galloping, the Yongan Reinforcements still had not seen Yongyang City; instead, they encountered countless enemy forces arrayed in formation, ready to greet their arrival.
The most alarming thing was that the enemy's numbers far exceeded their own!
The Cavalry Captain scratched his head and looked at the two beautiful women beside him with a wry smile. "This is bad; now it's either death or worse!"
Yuki Chiba slapped the Cavalry Captain on the shoulder, mocking, "What's wrong? Thinking about death before even charging? Is that what a knight should say?"
Li Xue remained calm, using the formation they had set up earlier to contact Eternal Peace. Things had exceeded their expectations; the Dragon Court Army was faster than they anticipated, and Yongyang was already surrounded. Their original mission had failed.
Soon, a command appeared on the Communication Formation:
Break through the enemy lines and enter Yongyang to assist in defending the city.
"Oh dear, how are we supposed to break through with so many enemies? It looks like we're in for a tough battle," the Cavalry Captain said as he drew Tang Hengdao, tightening his grip on the reins, ready to charge at any moment.
"Don't be in such a hurry; we still need you, General, to rally the troops!"
Li Xue cast a spell, amplifying the Cavalry Captain's voice so that everyone in the Thousands formation could hear him.
"What? I'm not very good at speeches," the Cavalry Captain replied with a forced smile, feeling helpless.
Yuki Chiba slapped him on the back of the head again and scolded, "Nonsense! You talk so much normally; I don't believe you can't say a few words! Just explain the situation and throw in a few casual remarks; we won't have much time before they come at us!"
Clearing his throat, the Cavalry Captain spoke in a deep voice, "Friends, we have arrived late. Yongyang City is already surrounded. We will be facing an enemy force that outnumbers us by several times, perhaps even dozens. The Emperor's order is for us to break through their lines and enter Yongyang; my thoughts align with that."
"There are only two possible outcomes for this battle! Either we step over their corpses to enter Yongyang or they step over ours to invade Eternal Peace!"
"If I must die here, then I choose to die on the path of charge!"
With that, the Cavalry Captain immediately flicked the reins and charged alone into the sea of enemies. The other seven members of the Cavalry Team quickly followed suit.
Seeing that those behind were still confused, Li Xue coldly remarked, "It doesn't matter where we die, but I don't want to die with my back turned to the enemy."
With that, Li Xue also spurred his horse forward at full speed. Seeing Li Xue charge ahead, Yuki Chiba was reluctant but had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow into battle.
The entire group charged forward, leaving no reason for the remaining individuals to retreat. In an instant, thousands of cavalry surged forth, shaking the ground beneath them.
Li Xue and Yuki Chiba caught up with the Cavalry Team. Yuki Chiba dashed to the back of the Cavalry Captain and asked with a smile, "You seemed so timid just now; how come you have the courage to lead the charge now?"
The Cavalry Captain did not turn around but replied coolly, "Because there are people behind me!"
As they watched the Yongan Reinforcements charging towards them, the Orc Race's army also began to advance. If they stood still to meet the charge, they would likely be torn apart.
The only forces blocking the Yongan Reinforcements were the Orc Race's troops. Since the Giant Race and Dragon Race excelled in siege warfare, they could afford to send their weakest troops, the Orcs, to defend this position.
Although the Orc Race had the lowest combat power among the Three Races Alliance, their sheer numbers made up for it. Currently, there were at least over one hundred thousand Orc soldiers engaged in battle against the Yongan Reinforcements.
Moreover, while Orcs were considered weak compared to Dragons and Giants, they were still formidable compared to ordinary humans. Thus, this was roughly equivalent to one hundred thousand Imperial Guards facing off against nine thousand elite troops.
In just the first moment of contact during the charge, casualties on both sides approached ten thousand. Although most of those who fell were from the Orc army, such losses would undoubtedly be detrimental to the Yongan Reinforcements if this continued.
The Cavalry Captain immediately used Li Xue's amplified magic to command all troops to spread out and engage in battle as units.
This strategy effectively scattered countless steel nails among the Orc army; each unit possessed individual strength that surpassed that of a heavy cavalry squad.
Most of the cavalry dismounted to fight on foot since not all units had mastered horsemanship like the Cavalry Team. Meanwhile, the Cavalry Team along with Li Xue and Yuki Chiba acted as a mobile force on the battlefield, providing support to units engaged in fierce combat.
Of course, every strategy has its drawbacks. This approach relied on the general lack of intelligence among Orcs and their inability to understand tactics like targeted strikes. However, it didn't take long for the Orc Army to adapt and begin concentrating their forces on attacking weaker units—clearly indicating that some Orc players were taking command.
Seeing groups being picked off one by one caused the Cavalry Captain's brow to furrow in concern; he felt powerless. They could not simply charge into the densest part of enemy lines—that would be suicide.
The advantage of cavalry lay in their mobility; once they halted, they became no different from infantry on horseback.
"Where's your shield? Why aren't you using it?" The Cavalry Captain suddenly remembered Li Xue and asked her.
"Too scattered," Li Xue said calmly. "My Magic Shield cannot be divided into multiple parts, and this chaotic formation cannot accommodate most of the people."
The Cavalry Captain noticed that she referred to most people, meaning even she could not guarantee everyone's safety! Watching comrades gradually fall in battle while feeling utterly helpless, the Cavalry Captain angrily struck the horse's back, nearly startling the animal before he stopped.
"All units, listen up! Gather around me immediately!" Li Xue ordered through her spell-enhanced voice. Given the current situation, splitting into groups was no longer a wise choice; their casualties had likely exceeded those of the enemy.
Although the idea was good, implementing it was extremely difficult. The mobile units were the first to reach the Command Group's location. The remaining groups were mostly dismounted and engaged in ground combat. If they attempted to mount up and retreat now, it would inevitably create defensive gaps, allowing the Orc Army to take advantage and wipe them out.
About fifteen minutes later, nearly all surviving groups had gathered near Li Xue, who quickly released her Magic Shield to block the enemy.
A massive blue shield appeared out of thin air on the battlefield. Thousands of Orc Army troops attacked it simultaneously, but it had no effect, providing temporary relief for those inside the shield.
The Cavalry Captain sighed in relief and asked with a smile, "How long can this shield hold?"
"One minute," Li Xue replied softly. "Once the shield is created, it cannot be moved. Recasting will also take one minute."
After one minute, the enemy would swarm in, and that would be their end.
"Is that so?" The Cavalry Captain chuckled bitterly and teased, "I thought we could just charge straight into Yongyang City with this shield!"
Li Xue was not as excited as the Cavalry Captain. Since the war began, she had remained very calm or indifferent, as if she were an observer rather than a participant in this conflict.
Noticing Li Xue's expression, the Cavalry Captain felt a bit awkward. Yuki Chiba hurriedly stepped in to lighten the mood, saying with a smile, "You don't need to worry about her; she's just lovesick!"
At that moment, the Cavalry Captain recalled the last scene from the finals of the Lower Martial Arts Tournament when a High Elf helped these two Half-Elf Mages out of a tight spot. However, Li Xue seemed to care deeply about that High Elf, who claimed not to know her.
The Cavalry Captain tried to remember; that High Elf seemed to be a player as well, with a nickname that sounded English. Sighing inwardly, he thought perhaps Li Xue had fallen for some handsome guy from another country... after all, that incident happened six years ago.
After resting for a while, they were nearing the one-minute limit. The remaining thousand or so people inside the giant shield stood up and readied their weapons to face the enemy's final assault.
Suddenly, a command issued from the Communication Formation beside the Cavalry Captain, requesting a report on casualties and the state of the battle.
The Cavalry Captain picked up the prepared paper but froze, for in the midst of this chaotic fight, who had the energy to tally the dead?
As the color of the giant shield gradually faded to transparency, the Cavalry Captain finally wrote down the last message on the blank sheet:
"Casualties: countless!"
"Casualty ratio: unknown!"
"Battle situation: our army will surely win!"
With the Magic Shield disappearing, swords were drawn, and they charged forward...
The remaining fewer than a thousand Warriors launched another desperate charge against the enemy.
A loud crash echoed from directly ahead, and as the smoke cleared, two figures appeared between the two armies.
Li Xue gazed at the back of the taller figure, tears streaming down her face without her realizing it.
"Who... are you..."
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