Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1338 - 1331: Encircle and Reinforce

Chapter 1338: Chapter 1331: Encircle and Reinforce

In fact, after over a month of adjustments and reforms, aside from possessing strong coordinated firepower, the Demon Clan’s military had another aspect that had not been emphasized, which was their combat will.

Before the Battle of Lingyuan City, when facing the Dongsheng army, the Demon Clan’s military continuously retreated and almost no one believed they could withstand the iron hooves of the Dongsheng army. Reflected in battle, this meant that the Demon Clan’s military had very weak combat resolve; they would almost always flee in disarray after their formations were broken, and launching proactive attacks was simply out of the question.

At that time, from the Leader to the soldiers, everyone believed that it was only a matter of time before West Outer Heaven fell, and their resistance was merely delaying the inevitable collapse of West Outer Heaven.

However, after over a month of military adjustments and reforms, particularly through Luo’er’s extensive propaganda, the combat will of the Demon Clan’s military was rejuvenated. They began to dare to confront the Dongsheng army and even now, dared to launch counterattacks against them.

Such achievements stemmed not only from the restoration of their confidence but also from Luo’er’s relentless propaganda.

Through uninterrupted propaganda, the people of the Demon Clan began to believe that what the Dongsheng army was conducting was nothing but a wicked war of aggression.

If they did not resist, the Dongsheng army could slaughter their kinsfolk without restraint. If they dared to resist, then the Dongsheng army would be impeded. If they dared to counterattack, then the Dongsheng army would be at a loss.

It was precisely because of a series of belief reinforcements through propaganda that a psychological barrier against the atrocities of the Dongsheng Empire was established, allowing the people of the Demon Clan to face the Dongsheng army directly, instead of looking up at them in horror.

This strong will was reflected in battle, which is what the Demon Clan’s military was currently doing; they even dared to initiate close-combat, using their bayonets to mercilessly slaughter the retreating Dongsheng soldiers, something that was almost impossible before.

At the Battle under Ziye Ning City, it ended with the Demon Clan’s military’s victory, with heavy losses on the side of the Dongsheng army. If it hadn’t been for the timely support from the troops at the city walls, possibly the Demon Clan’s line infantry would have already stormed into the city.

After the battle, it was calculated that the Dongsheng army lost over three thousand men. The heavily impacted Dongsheng army dared not leave the city to face battle again but rather, held fast within the city walls, unmoved by the jeers of the Demon Clan’s army.

Through this battle, Cheng Ziang and his companions saw some changes in the Dongsheng army. They were not unchanging but were constantly adjusting according to the strength of their opponents, although such adjustments still appeared overly conservative.

During the Battle of Lingyuan City, the firepower of the Demon Clan’s military had not yet reached a significant scale, so the Dongsheng army completely disregarded their weak firepower and advanced under the barrage of bullets and arrows to attack the city.

Although they also suffered heavy losses and achieved nothing, this still revealed the Dongsheng army’s attitude towards the Demon Clan’s military, which was arrogance—the arrogance of a strong party towards a weaker one.

Later at Wufeng City, facing the Demon Clan’s military which had completed the deployment of their firepower, the unprepared Dongsheng army met a head-on painful strike.

They wrongly estimated the attack patterns of the Demon Clan’s military, leading to thousands aimlessly standing their ground and being systematically annihilated, morale plummeting to an all-time low, and even being broken by a countercharge launched by the Demon Clan’s military during their final attempt to charge.

By the Battle at Ziye Ning, the Dongsheng army was evidently prepared, with front-line shield soldiers equipped with thick metal shields. Facing the smoothbore guns of the Demon Clan, such shields indeed served as effective bulletproof barriers, but the downside was also clear.

Such shields were far too heavy, almost only useful for holding one’s ground, unable to take the initiative in attacking the Demon Clan’s military. Yet facing such solid defenses, the Demon Clan’s military had many methods, fully capable of relying on the powerful destructive force of the artillery to breach them.

After breaching the formation, the Dongsheng army’s morale, which had barely recovered, plummeted once again, leading to a direct collapse when assaulted by the Demon Clan’s army.

From Lingyuan City to Wufeng City, and then to Ziye Ning, the Dongsheng army’s mindset shifted from initial disdain to subsequent fear, and now to being terrified and apprehensive.

They repeatedly tried to ward off the attacks from the Demon Clan’s army, but they ended in failure each time. With each failure came thousands of soldiers killed.

These cases indicate that Dongsheng’s army was not the type to merely skirmish and withdraw; they were also attempting to resist the counterattacks of the Demon Clan’s army. Although they ended in failure each time, they continually adjusted their tactics and strategies to cope with the Demon Clan’s offensive.

After the Battle of Ziye Ning, Dongsheng’s army held their position without advancing, and the Demon Clan’s army had no other choice but to prepare siege equipment. They dispersed their only Light Cavalry to scout the surroundings and disrupt the supply lines of Ziye Ning, cutting off its logistics and turning it into an isolated city.

Such days continued for ten days; although the Demon Clan’s army only surrounded one wall of Ziye Ning, their cavalry’s constant harassment effectively encircled Ziye Ning.

Among these circumstances, what baffled Cheng Ziang and others most was the absence of Dongsheng Cavalry. From Wufeng City to Ziye Ning, they had hardly ever seen Dongsheng Cavalry participate in battles.

If the aforementioned battles were only sieges, there was also an encounter on the plains. In this battle, Dongsheng Cavalry was likewise absent, resulting in the flanking of Dongsheng’s forces by Demon Clan Light Cavalry, which directly led to the collapse of Dongsheng’s lines.

Although the prevailing explanation was that the Dongsheng army prioritized withdrawing their cavalry first, Cheng Ziang always felt that as the Demon Clan’s army continued to move south, they would inevitably encounter Dongsheng Cavalry.

Dongsheng Cavalry could be considered a nightmare for the Demon Clan’s army. As the elite troops of the Dongsheng Empire, this army included Archer Cavalry and Heavy Cavalry, possessing exceptional combat strength. In each of the Demon Clan’s counterattacks, Dongsheng Cavalry was an unavoidable obstacle.

On the thirteenth day of the siege, they received news that a Dongsheng force of about three thousand was moving towards Ziye Ning, presumably to reinforce the city.

Faced with such battle reports, the Demon Clan’s Leader found himself in a dilemma; dividing his forces to attack might disadvantage them in battle. If the troops inside the city were to sally forth at this moment, the Demon Clan’s army would face setbacks on two fronts.

Because he was indecisive, he summoned Cheng Ziang and his group, hoping they could provide some advice. After analysis, Cheng Ziang believed that even if only half of the Demon Clan’s infantry remained, they could still handle the city’s garrison, so the other half could be dispatched to intercept reinforcements.

Hearing his advice, the Demon Clan’s Leader, after much consideration, decided to take proactive action and intercept the reinforcements. By doing so, they could deter the Dongsheng forces from sending support to Ziye Ning.

Moreover, as long as Dongsheng Cavalry did not come to aid, the Demon Clan’s army saw an opportunity to take proactive measures and intercept the reinforcements, because in any ground battle, Dongsheng’s forces were unlikely to match the Demon Clan’s army.

Under the command of the Demon Clan’s Leader, half of the Demon Clan’s infantry and their supporting arms performed a Forced March, bypassing Ziye Ning to intercept the reinforcements sent by Dongsheng. Naturally, Cheng Ziang and his companions did not want to miss such an opportunity, so they took the initiative to follow and participate in the battle.

As they had predicted, even though their forces were divided, the city’s garrison in Ziye Ning still dared not launch an attack and remained holed up in the city, waiting for reinforcements to arrive, which must have been significantly influenced by the previous disruption of their logistics.

Ziye Ning differed from Wufeng City; Wufeng City, serving as a forward base for Dongsheng’s forces, had stored an abundance of grain and battle supplies. Ziye Ning did not enjoy such advantages, so its stockpile of provisions undoubtedly fell short of Wufeng City’s.

On the fifteenth day of the siege, the Demon Clan’s army intercepted the reinforcements sent by Dongsheng, and both parties once again set up for battle on the plains.

Faced with the sudden attack from the Demon Clan’s army, Dongsheng’s forces seemed somewhat at a loss. The soldiers hurriedly retrieved armor and weapons from the carts, arming themselves hastily and taking quite some time to transition from marching to battle readiness.

As previously mentioned, there had always been an almost ridiculous understanding between the Demon Clan’s army and Dongsheng’s forces. As long as both sides formally began a battle, they would allow each other to get into formation, which reminded Cheng Ziang of the tale of the Battle of Hongshui.

On the other hand, he also thought that such an understanding wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Because once broken, both sides would resort to all sorts of despicable tactics in war, and that was truly the most headache-inducing issue.