Otherworld Advance Team -
Chapter 1334 - 1327: Making a Spurt of Effort
Chapter 1334: Chapter 1327: Making a Spurt of Effort
At the gates of Wufeng City, Luo’er was loudly shouting out to his propagandists, cautioning the soldiers entering the city, "Enter in order, do not harm the civilians in the slightest, anyone found looting or killing indiscriminately will be executed on the spot, regardless of their merits!"
Luo’er wasn’t just shouting for the sake of it; the leader of the Demon Clan had agreed to his plan, so anyone who actually caused chaos would indeed be executed. The reason he was shouting so loudly wasn’t to warn these soldiers, but to remind them.
When the Dongsheng army retreated, they relocated most of the farmers, but still left some behind, along with a large amount of military logistics supplies.
Before the city fell, the Dongsheng defenders tried to set these supplies on fire, but unfortunately, the heavens were not on their side as a downpour extinguished the flames they had started. As the Demon Clan’s army entered the city, these supplies, which they hadn’t had time to burn completely, naturally became the war booty of the Demon Clan’s army.
As Luo’er was making his appeal, he saw Cheng Ziang and his group rushing over excitedly, then tugging at his sleeve, seemingly with something to say.
"What’s up?" Luo’er cleared his throat and asked.
"According to the reports from the Dongsheng defenders, the last Dongsheng army detachment to leave Wufeng City hasn’t gotten far. If we set out on a forced march now, we should be able to catch up. The Demon Clan’s army is preparing to wipe them out in one fell swoop; do we want to go take a look?" Cheng Ziang asked, his eyes dancing with excitement.
"I can’t leave the city right now," Luo’er hesitated.
"Ah, that’s easy then, you stay here, and we’ll go chase them down," Cheng Ziang said, patting his chest.
"This..." Seeing his excited face, Luo’er couldn’t help but reveal a wry smile.
"Actually, we came to tell you, we weren’t planning on taking you with us," Cheng Ziang continued.
"Alright then, whoever wants to go can go, I’ll stay here. But be careful, don’t play the hero on the battlefield, retreat when you need to," Luo’er nodded and said.
"It’s all arranged, Moumou will stay with you, the others will follow," Cheng Ziang said.
"So this is acting first and reporting after..." Luo’er said, with a laugh and cry.
"Keep up the good work with the propaganda, Dawari Family, we’re off!" Cheng Ziang patted his shoulder again, then led the others away.
After a while, Tangmo approached with a smile, staring silently at Luo’er with a triumphant look. Seeing her smug expression, Luo’er also smiled, then beckoned her over, saying, "Come over and help."
"Sure!" Tangmo obediently responded, bouncing over and wrapping her arms around Luo’er’s arm.
"I told you to help, not to hug me," Luo’er said, resigned.
"You haven’t told me what you need help with yet," Tangmo replied matter-of-factly.
"You are..." Luo’er looked up and seeing her sly smile, he shook his head and sighed once again.
Meanwhile, the Demon Clan’s army assembled their line infantry and the few cavalry they had, beginning a forced march towards the last retreating Dongsheng army detachment from Wufeng City, ready to win another victorious battle.
The battle at Wufeng City had greatly boosted the morale of the Demon Clan’s army, and now they firmly believed that this newly formed line infantry could defeat any enemy, crushing all before them like a scythe through wheat.
Because it was a forced march, the entire army only carried about a day’s worth of dry rations, and the ammunition they had could only sustain one major battle. Although a supply line was hastily arranged, it was estimated to be useless by the end of the fight.
The Demon Clan’s light cavalry took the lead as scouts and harassing troops, chasing the retreating Dongsheng army, disrupting their marching speed, and allowing the rest of the Demon Clan army to catch up.
The most unscrupulous move by Dongsheng’s commander was to withdraw Dongsheng’s most elite cavalry first, leaving the infantry to slowly retreat. Therefore, when the retreating Dongsheng troops encountered the harassment of the Demon Clan’s light cavalry, they were almost helpless and could only write letters pleading for the rear to send cavalry to protect the last of the retreating troops.
Though the number of the Demon Clan’s light cavalry was not large, their elite skills shone through as each one was adept at mounted archery. The retreating Dongsheng army also had some cavalry which made sorties to oppose them but were quickly annihilated by the Demon Clan’s light cavalry and dared not launch another attack.
Muddy roads combined with low morale severely impacted the Dongsheng army’s marching speed. Meanwhile, behind them, the high-spirited Demon Clan army was quickly in pursuit.
They had been chasing from the morning until the afternoon, a full ten hours, until they finally encountered the Dongsheng army. Seeing that escape was futile, the Dongsheng commander stopped the retreat and instead prepared his troops to meet the enemy.
He knew well that if the Demon Clan army caught up while they were still retreating, an orderly withdrawal would turn into a rout. The Demon Clan could annihilate their living force without losing a single soldier, which was a price the commander could not afford.
At six in the evening, both sides formed up on an open plain, although the ground was still muddy, it did not hinder their battle.
The resounding sound of drums and bugles signaled the Demon Clan’s line infantry to form neat and orderly columns, slowly advancing towards the Dongsheng army. Since the two sides were roughly equal in number, the outcome of the battle was almost too easy for Cheng Ziang to guess.
The Dongsheng army stuck to its old tactics: shield-bearers in front for protection, followed by pikemen, and at the rear were ranged troops with crossbows. This was the standard tactic of ancient warfare, but it seemed powerless against the more modern line infantry.
Copying the tactics of the Wufeng City battle, the Demon Clan soldiers advanced in step with the drum beat and bugle call, while the Demon Clan cavalry observed from afar. Once a flaw appeared in Dongsheng’s formation, they would charge without hesitation and tear a bloody hole in their lines.
As the Dongsheng archers continuously released volleys, a deluge of arrows rained down on the Demon Clan’s columns. Because of the forced march, the line infantry hadn’t brought shield rune carts this time and had to withstand the sky-full of arrows.
This was a test of the Demon Clan army’s discipline. If they couldn’t hold on, they would easily face defeat. However, one of the great advantages of line infantry over traditional troops was that they were easier to train.
A line infantry soldier needed only to be instilled with discipline and obedience, and to familiarize themselves with the use of flintlock guns to become a qualified soldier. Compared to archers or cavalry, they were far quicker to train.
The Demon Clan army continued its advance amidst the arrow storm, with soldiers occasionally falling but quickly replaced by comrades. Because their formation was a long line, the density was actually not high, so casualties from the arrow rain weren’t as serious. By the time they moved within musket fire range, the Demon Clan army had lost just over a hundred men.
"Prepare!" The Demon Clan commander raised his command saber as the ranks stood at attention, issuing an order that sent chills through the hearts of the Dongsheng soldiers.
Following his command, the Demon Clan soldiers began to shoulder their flintlock guns and took aim at the nearby Dongsheng army.
Facing the dark muzzles, the Dongsheng army relived the nightmare from over half a month ago. Although many shield-bearers hid behind their shields, they were still trembling with fear, some even starting to sob.
"Fire!" With the commander’s roar, the Demon Clan army’s muzzles burst with huge sparks and spewed thick white smoke.
Not far away, the Dongsheng shield-bearers fell as if reeds cut down, their trusted shields unable to protect them. The musket balls easily penetrated the thick shields, breached their armor, and struck them dead.
"Reload! Fire!" The Demon Clan commander repeatedly shouted the command, and the sound of gunfire from the Demon Clan ranks never ceased as the battlefield filled with smoke. Although the musketeers could not see the other side, they could imagine their tragic state from the screams that echoed forth.
Faced with musket fire from the Demon Clan, Dongsheng’s commander became visibly flustered. He knew they could not keep taking fire in formation, so he ordered the bugle to sound for a charge against the Demon Clan army.
Yet the Demon Clan army was not afraid of Dongsheng’s charge. As the commander issued the order to change formation, amidst the urgent and melodious drum and bugle sounds, the Demon Clan army once again formed a pre-charge formation, with three lines of musketeers firing simultaneously at their opponents.
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