May 9, 1172, Beishi Fortress, overcast.
"I have never seen so many enemies in my entire life..."
Hearing the murmurs around him, Huggins gripped the stone crenellations of the fortress wall tightly with both hands, remaining silent.
Dark clouds blocked out the light, and a strong wind whipped up dust. On the plain less than three kilometers from the fortress gates, the barbarian soldiers and the Silver Ring Allied Forces stretched as far as the eye could see, like a black carpet covering the earth.
On the city wall, Haskins and several commanders of the Twilight Knights stood atop the tower with the best view, observing every move on the battlefield.
The longbowmen and crossbowmen crouched behind the crenellations, carefully removing and neatly arranging the arrows soaked in horse manure; the heavy infantry made final checks on the reliability of their equipment, hammering the rivets on their shield handles, inspecting the hooks at the joints of their armor, and repeatedly rubbing the handles of their longswords, flails, and other weapons with lime; while the knights rested at the city gate, putting semi-dual bleachers on their 'alien warhorses' and draping them in their mount armor.
The "Inheritor Scout" team, which was responsible for scouting enemy positions, returned. Three people went out, but only one returned. Moreover, this survivor had lost his left eye and was covered in blood.
"My lord, I'm back..."
The scouts' miserable state made Huggins frown in surprise: "What happened? You've been discovered by the enemy?!"
The scout captain, who had lost an eye, managed to stay upright with the support of his comrades. He said weakly, "We weren't discovered when we were on the outskirts of the enemy camp. As we crossed the front line of defense and approached the center, we suddenly heard the howling of wolves. The next second, arrows rained down on our location. The enemy saw through our 'mimicry' disguise and chased us for a full six kilometers. I was the only one who came back alive."
Huggins' expression turned grave, and he asked again, "Tell me everything you've gathered."
The scout spoke haltingly, "The enemy force numbers approximately 5,000. Besides the Silver Ring's northern and southern legions, there are also twenty-six barbarian tribes... I heard the enemy repeatedly mention their commander, a strange name—'The Vicious Dog of Kuran.' Aside from that, we haven't gathered any further information..."
Huggins nodded and said to the accompanying monks behind him, "Take him away to heal his wounds."
After watching the scouts leave the city wall with the help of the monks, Huggins looked at the bloodstains left on the ground, pondered for a while, and then turned his gaze back to the enemy camp in the distance.
A regimental commander walked up to him and reminded him, "The original intelligence said there were 3,200 enemy soldiers, but now it's 5,000. The ratio of enemy to friendly soldiers has become 3:1, which is not a good thing."
"Have you ever heard of 'The Vicious Dog of Kuran'?"
Harkins's sudden question startled the squadron commander, who shook his head and replied, "I fought the Northern Barbarians for six years under Cumberland's command. 'The Hound of Cumberland'? Never heard of him. Perhaps he's some prince from a barbarian kingdom who came to the battlefield to gain experience. In the end, he's just an unknown nobody."
Having been away from the northern battlefield for even longer, Huggins naturally couldn't refute these words. Just as he was about to advise the other party to be careful, a warning shout came from the watchtower, attracting his attention.
"Enemy troops are approaching!"
Huggins withdrew his gaze and looked towards the enemy lines in the distance.
The enemy's vanguard, numbering about four hundred men, adopted a loose formation, carrying shields and weapons, and formed a long line as they slowly advanced towards the North Stone Fortress.
Huggins put his finger in his mouth, then raised it above his head. The air pressure made him nod.
The regimental commander met his gaze and said, "With the north wind and this wind speed, our arrows will travel farther and penetrate more powerfully because they are carried by the wind! The enemy is nothing but a bunch of uncivilized barbarians who don't even understand such a simple principle as observing the wind direction on the battlefield."
Harkins glanced at the spacing between the enemy's front-line soldiers, and using his 'Hive' ability, ordered the regimental commander behind the city wall: "Longbow Regiment, cancel rappelling and switch to horizontal fire. 'Inheritor Sniper Crossbowmen,' freely lock onto the enemy commander. Abandon the outer attack line and place the enemy on the middle attack line. Pay attention to accuracy, conserve ammunition, and await my orders!"
As the enemy's vanguard drew closer, Huggins grew increasingly uneasy.
The enemy's actions completely violated the basic tactics of the attacking side.
A typical siege force is divided into several waves, with heavy infantry providing front-line cover, light infantry setting up ladders and ropes, and archers providing rear-line fire cover. However, these four hundred enemy soldiers in the front line, after leaving their formation, received no reinforcements from the central army, leaving them completely isolated and deep in enemy territory.
As the enemy drew closer, Huggins finally got a clear look at them.
This was no army at all, just a group of villagers dressed in simple leather armor, carrying wooden shields and rusty swords!
An elderly man with white hair and beard who could barely walk, a woman in tattered clothes whose eyes were filled with despair, and even some bewildered and hesitant teenagers.
"These people in front are civilians from Holy Guard City, and those behind them are barbarian overseers... I finally understand where the enemy's extra 'soldiers' came from!" A regimental commander standing next to Harkins said in disbelief.
Someone shouted angrily, "Using civilians as human shields! These monsters are worse than beasts! Heavenly Father, send down your divine judgment!"
Just then, the sentry on the watchtower shouted a warning: "The enemy has entered the central attack line!"
Huggins froze, his eyes beneath his steel helmet fixed on the approaching 'enemy,' yet the order to attack remained undecided.
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