Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1304 - 1297: Actively Preparing for War

Chapter 1304: Chapter 1297: Actively Preparing for War

Of course, having a strong willpower was not enough without comparable weaponry and equipment. At that time, Zhuyan Yu and the remaining Dwarven scientists played a significant role.

They helped the Demon Clan improve their weaponry and adjust the formula of gunpowder to achieve the ideal effect.

One should not underestimate these Dwarven scientists. As mentioned before, Dwarves are a subspecies of the Elf Race, with lifespans almost identical to Elves. Thus, these scientists appeared young, but each of them was actually over a hundred years old, with the eldest Dwarf being eight hundred years old.

The High-peak Dwarves had adopted Earth’s military technology for less than forty years. Forty years ago, Dwarven weaponry was similar to that of the Demon Clan, both possessing early long-range firearms and artillery.

After two wars erupted in the Otherworld, Earth’s advanced technologies, especially military technology, were successively introduced into the Otherworld. This led to a qualitative leap in High-peak Dwarves’ military equipment, which jumped from the early phase of long-range warfare to the late phase, and was even on the verge of entering the standards of ultra-long-range warfare.

That was why, having been exposed to Earth’s advanced weaponry and equipment for less than forty years, these scientists still maintained their experience in improving weaponry for early long-range warfare, as well as relevant tactical knowledge.

If time were turned back a few hundred years, the combat system of the Demon Clan and the High-peak people would be strikingly similar, both relying on aerial mobility forces for troop deployment and command.

However, unlike the High-peak people, the Demon Clan had not managed to preserve their aerial forces. The Overturning Beasts in the West Outer Heaven were all plundered by the Kyushu Empire, which led to an increasing backwardness in their combat system, dropping from regional dominance to tribal standard.

Thus, the Demon Clan naturally matched well with the military reforms proposed by the High-peak people. Although they could no longer establish effective aerial reconnaissance and transportation advantages, the High-peak people were no less competent in ground combat.

The Dwarves undertook a comprehensive enhancement of the Demon Clan’s capabilities, not limited to just one or two technologies.

After improving the gunpowder formula, the range of muskets and artillery was greatly increased. However, this led to a problem— the Demon Clan’s current muskets and artillery generally couldn’t withstand the chamber pressure produced by the new gunpowder formula.

Therefore, after completing the improvement of the gunpowder formula, the Dwarves had to focus on enhancing the strength of weaponry, improving the forging process of firearms to make them more robust.

From the flintlock gun to the matchlock gun, it was not just an improvement in firing mechanism—improving one part inevitably led to changes in almost all other areas.

In addition to firearms, they also needed to refine the troop types of the Demon Clan’s army, starting with establishing a premier cold-weapon troop type, the Cavalry.

The Demon Clan was not without cavalry, but they were entirely depleted in successive defeats. After seizing Wufeng City, the Demon Clan’s army would formally enter the southwestern West Outer Heaven.

The terrain in the southwestern West Outer Heaven mainly consists of hills and plains, unlike the North with its abundant mountains. In this region, cavalry was almost an essential troop type.

Moreover, another point not mentioned was that relying solely on two legs, Dongsheng’s Generals could not outrun the cavalry.

As previously mentioned, whether it was Royal Dao or Ba Path, both focused on offensive and defensive cultivation. Only those known as the Ba Path’s Banshan could possibly keep up with cavalry by foot.

This was precisely why any desired combat effect necessitated the presence of cavalry.

To the northwest of the Dongsheng Empire, there was also a strong nomadic tribal alliance, Yipa. The Yipa people were also part of the Human Race but were nomads famous for their cavalry, frequently raiding Kyushu. If Dongsheng’s Generals could easily catch up to the cavalry, Yipa wouldn’t be such a constant threat to the Dongsheng Empire.

However, at the moment, it was almost very difficult for Abisien to assemble a cavalry troop capable of combat. They could barely manage reconnaissance, much less combat.

This was primarily because the Demon Clan’s horse-breeding areas were located in the southern West Outer Heaven, and without taking over the southern West Outer Heaven, the Demon Clan simply couldn’t find a reliable source of horses.

Of course, the term "horses" here is also a translation issue. The Demon Clan’s mounts were a type of short horse, but only nominally so, as they didn’t actually resemble horses at all. The reason they were translated as horses was mainly because they too were herbivores.

In Abisien, basically only the Beast-Ear Race had cavalry troops, while the Beast Head Tribe of the North rarely had cavalry.

In previous battles, Luo’er had seen the mount of Bai Po, the leader of the Luwu Clan, which was a carnivorous beast. However, this mount was only rideable by leaders; ordinary soldiers of the Beast Head Tribe primarily fought as infantry.

You should know, using carnivorous animals as mounts was extremely costly, and you certainly couldn’t expect soldiers to feed them their own flesh when meat was scarce.

This is precisely why, despite Bai Po’s mount appearing so formidable, it was merely an exception. Indeed, whether on Earth or in the Otherworld, cost is always the most pragmatic and unavoidable issue, which is why herbivorous animals predominantly served as mounts in the Otherworld.

It should be mentioned that the Dongsheng Empire’s army also had cavalry, but they did not perform well in mountainous warfare. Once they had taken over Wufeng City and charged into the southern plains, they would then face the threat of Dongsheng’s cavalry.

Although Luo’er ceaselessly propagated and encouraged the Demon Clan to be unafraid of the Dongsheng army’s threats, he was well aware that the actual gap between Abisien and the Dongsheng army was real and could not simply be concealed with words.

Thus, while conducting intensive propaganda, Luo’er also continuously advised the Demon Clan leaders to actively seek external aid, with the ideal targets being members of their own clan: the Bluebird Clan and the Zhuhuai Clan.

These were two prominent Demon Clan families living in Thousand Peaks Cloud Top, with the Bluebird Clan actually being the Sheep-man Clan and the Zhuhuai Clan being the Minotaur Tribe.

As fellow members of the Beast Head Tribe, these two clans also possessed formidable combat capabilities, especially with the geographical advantage of Thousand Peaks Cloud Top, which even the generals of the Dongsheng Empire would dread considerably.

But precisely because of this, the area of Thousand Peaks Cloud Top was almost never invaded by the Dongsheng Empire, so these clans had little interest in aiding their fellow clan members in West Outer Heaven.

Yet, despite its improbability, Luo’er still hoped to give it a try; if the Demon Clan of Thousand Peaks Cloud Top were willing to assist those from West Outer Heaven, they could form a pincer attack from the northeast and advance on South-West Outer Heaven.

If they were unwilling, it would still be okay; the Demon Clan from West Outer Heaven could use the route through Thousand Peaks Cloud Top to reach Yipa in the northwest of Kyushu, establishing contact with Yipa and putting pressure on Dongsheng’s army in West Outer Heaven.

It was clear to any observer that although the Dongsheng Empire’s invasion seemed fierce, their battle line was stretched too thin and simply could not last.

The Battle of Lingyuan City could be said to be the final battle for the Dongsheng Empire, and even if they captured Lingyuan City, the Dongsheng troops would need to pause for breath and prepare to hold their current positions.

However, they did not capture Lingyuan City, which, in a way, signified that the Dongsheng Empire’s strategy of advancing northward was essentially bankrupt. At this stage, their options were either to hold their ground or hand over the territories they had captured to the Nobility’s Nine Thousand Battalion and return to their own territory.

But as Luo’er had said, what he feared most was not whether the Dongsheng Empire could continue moving north after capturing Lingyuan City; what he actually feared most was the Dongsheng Empire firming their foothold in West Outer Heaven.

Because the disparity in strength between them was already very clear at this stage; once the Dongsheng Empire stabilized and developed for a few years, driving them out of West Outer Heaven would be as difficult as reaching the heavens.

This was exactly why Luo’er was so adamant about counterattacking, seizing the opportunity when the Dongsheng Empire was off balance and had just suffered a defeat, to launch a fierce offensive and shatter all the advantages they had previously gained.

The road is tortuous, but the future is bright. The Dongsheng Empire is not invincible; they too face internal and external troubles, and they are severely divided internally, which is why Luo’er always held firm belief in defeating the Dongsheng Empire.

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