As Cumberland watched the 'Melee-type Xenomorph' use its Xenomorph abilities for regeneration and defense to compress the barbarian army's battle formation into smaller and smaller ones, and as the number of barbarian soldiers' corpses on the ground increased, he sighed and said, "Without a doubt, the advantage of Xenomorph abilities in war is obvious. If the Church hadn't clung to the mess of hundreds of years ago and had been willing to broaden its horizons, it wouldn't have ended up in this state."
The old knight turned to Todd and said, "Regarding the alien troops, I've asked Sister Rachel and seen the 'dragon bones' on Huggins's body. How long will it take to establish such a cavalry company?"
Todd thought for a moment and said, "In the biochemical factory, the twelfth generation of 'Dragon Bone' is already being cultivated. Due to the maturity of the cultivation environment, I believe that the production of this equipment will become faster and faster. It is expected that by the end of this year, an additional two hundred sets of 'Dragon Bone' can be equipped on the soldiers, on top of the existing ones."
Cumberland nodded.
Todd refocused his attention on the battlefield, and the 'melee mutants' intensified their attacks. The barbarian army's defenses were already crumbling, and they were only one step away from being breached.
"That's enough, give the order to retreat."
Cumberland's sudden remark made Todd think he had misheard.
"Withdraw? Now? But we're about to break through the enemy's defenses!" Todd said urgently to Cumberland as the soldier in charge of relaying the order blew the horn to retreat.
The old knight watched as the Twilight Knights' army methodically disengaged from the enemy's formation. He nodded in satisfaction and said to Todd, "This battle was just a test. Let's think long-term. Continuing to fight will not benefit us."
Todd watched as both sides gradually retreated. The barbarian army, which suffered the heaviest losses, carried more than twenty of their comrades' corpses on their backs and was the last to leave the battlefield.
The setting sun shone on the earth, and on the verdant wilderness, the only evidence that a battle had just taken place was a few scattered bloodstains.
After dinner, Cumberland and all the company commanders ended their meeting and spotted Todd standing on the high ground of the camp, looking towards North Rock Fortress.
"What's wrong, Commander-in-Chief? Do you feel like today's battle wasn't enough?" The old knight walked up to Todd and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.
Todd shook his head: "At first I didn't understand why we should give up the opportunity to defeat the barbarian army, but now I understand."
Cumberland's eyes lit up, and he immediately became interested: "Oh, tell me about it."
"The alliance between the kingdom's army and the barbarian forces appears to be very close due to their common enemy. However, there are significant differences between them in terms of religious beliefs, lifestyles, clan identities, and strategic goals. To divide the enemy, we must find a way to break this superficial cooperation and use targeted attacks to make them realize each other's true intentions."
Cumberland nodded approvingly, put his arm around Todd's shoulder, and gestured for him to look at the distant Northstone Fortress: "See that?"
Todd used Eagle Eye to look at the fortress under the setting sun, the walls stretching for miles, the tall and sturdy walls, the constantly patrolling guards, his brows furrowed.
Cumberland said, “The Northstone Mine is the economic lifeline of the kingdom, and Northstone Fortress is naturally one of the most difficult fortresses to conquer. Catapults, ballistae, boiling oil, moats, arrow towers—this fortress has every defensive method you can imagine. Even with explosives and aliens, it would be difficult to conquer it head-on. However, the commander of the fortress garrison—that bloodline-obsessed Earl Hewlett, along with the barbarians and mercenaries—has given me an idea.”
Todd looked at Cumberland and said with a hint of understanding, "The strongest fortresses are often breached from within."
The old knight patted Todd hard on the back and laughed, "That's right, absolutely right! But first, we need to figure out where the weakest wall inside is..."
Before they finished speaking, several "reconnaissance-type mutants," led by Edgar, approached the two from a distance in the camp.
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Beishi Fortress, main hall of the fortress.
"Cowards! Traitors!" The barbarian chieftain Boyle glared angrily, leading a dozen barbarian soldiers in a standoff with the fortress commander, Earl Hewlett, and his garrison.
The count glanced at the dozens of corpses covered by white sheets in the center of the hall, his face contorted with disgust as he covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. He then slowly addressed Boyle, saying, "In a battle between two armies, each unit has its own mission. It's impossible to disrupt the formation just to help your tribe. Besides, everyone saw on the battlefield that your troops were utterly defeated by an enemy outnumbered by you. This is the incompetence of your men, so how can you shift the blame onto us?"
The count's words were reasonable and well-founded, while Boyle, who was not good with words, shouted for a long time, but it was nothing more than words of indignation.
The argument ended badly.
"That's why I hate these monkeys who come out of the deep mountains the most! They have no skills at all, yet they keep making a fuss all day long." Count Hewlett straightened the wrinkles in his clothes, looking impatient. "The noble blood of the kingdom has to rely on these monkeys for help. I really don't know what those people in the palace are thinking!"
Tim, the mercenary leader, carefully observed the count's expression and flattered him at the opportune moment: "With your forces, sir, plus my men, and relying on the fortress's defenses, we can withstand any attack. These barbarians are nothing but insignificant people. Tomorrow, why don't we close the city gates and focus on defense?"
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