"The last time Ursok and I passed through the Troll Kingdom, it took a full week and a half. Considering that the spirit bear knew the way and the two of us traveled lightly, compared to the large-scale army, our traveling speed was very fast.
Fast. Therefore, I estimate that it will take at least twenty days for the Norscan tribe’s army to pass through the Troll Kingdom. The sentinels use black crows to deliver the news, so there is almost no lag in this information.”
In front of the colorful battle map, Rhodes calmly analyzed the current situation. This was not an ordinary battle. The previous battles were like armed battles between bandits from the next village. Even the largest one-evil
In the Battle of the Moon, the number of beastmen was only a few hundred at most. Among them were many mutated beasts, which were not soldiers at all. But this time when the Norsca tribe went south, the number increased to thousands.
An army of a thousand men is a threat to any kingdom. Rhodes has 100 reasons to believe that once these Norscans from the north capture Blackhammer Castle, they will never remain peaceful.
Instead of retreating, they will continue to go south and plunder more towns and villages. For this kind of thing, we could have requested reinforcements from the kingdom's capital, but Kislev City is too far away from Black Hammer Castle. When the Snow Queen learns the news, she will
When the troops were sent north, Blackhammer Castle had already been captured... A noble lord who lost his territory would lose his reputation, and at the same time, no king would give him other territories.
Therefore, Rhodes knew that this time, he could only fight alone.
"Twenty days is too late. If what the sentry said is true, then the problems we face this time will be bigger. In twenty days, where can we gather a force comparable to their strength?"
Virgil sat on the chair and looked at the map on the table worriedly. The simple soldier models symbolized the Norscan raider army, while the black warhammer symbolized the force that Blackhammer Castle could mobilize. From the map,
The disparity in strength between the two sides is already very clear.
"Yes, we don't have enough troops."
Rod returns.
"My lord, in Norsca, there is an unwritten rule that you should know, and that is the duel between champions. You should go out of the city to duel with their leader. If you win, this army will not be a problem at all."
Celta sat in his seat and spoke.
"I have thought about this, but the intelligence provided by the sentry has shown that these northern invaders believe in the god of Khorne. The sentry saw their flag, which had a flaming hell hound painted on it. So, even if I
Even if their leader is killed in the duel, this group of people will not retreat. They will not give up, but will continue to kill and sacrifice prisoners with blood."
Rhodes returned calmly——
"You have been away from Norsca for too long. You have been a pirate for many years and basically dealt with the empire. Your hometown may not be as traditional as you imagined."
"Lord, is the information from those sentries true?"
Virgil asked next.
"Nine times out of ten, it's true. I believe them. They don't need to deceive us. Most Norscans in the north believe in the God of Chaos. There is no way the Rangers will cooperate with them and deceive us. Otherwise, there is no need for them to warn us in advance.
The war is coming. As for the accuracy of the news, I still choose to believe them. These people were sentries of the Great Wall before, and their job was to be responsible for reconnaissance and defense. Just because the Great Wall is abandoned, it does not mean that their skills are also abandoned. It can be said that,
In the northern border, there is no army that can match it in terms of reconnaissance capabilities."
Rhodes said. You can see the embarrassed faces of Iron Claw and Lawrence. Because they were originally scouts and rangers of Black Hammer Castle...
Of course, Rhodes did not mean it when he said this. As the saying goes, the speaker has no intention but the listener has intention. This is the case.
"If the intelligence is true, we don't have much time left. I suggest closing the gate, transporting all the food outside the city into the city, and preparing to defend the city."
Chief Knight Virgil said.
"But the city wall around the city has not yet been built, and there is still a side gate in the northeast corner that has not been completed. Once the Norse tribe's army comes to the city, they can rush in through that gap. You and I both know that the castle cannot accommodate so many civilians.
"
Ranger Lawrence should arrive.
They said something to each other, and the discussion became awkward.
"My opinion, rush out and fight with them. Rhodes, you promised me that there will be fights every day in Blackhammer Castle. Now, two months have passed, and I haven't killed anyone worth fighting."
Opponent, there is good food and drink in the castle every day, but you know, as a butcher, I am not here to eat, drink and enjoy. Should you fulfill your promise and let me kill you once?"
In the dull environment, suddenly, the dwarf butcher Bogul stood up and shouted loudly.
His long orange-red hair in the shape of a killer, and his bold personality that he would cut off if he didn't like it, made everyone on the field chuckle. But in Celta's view, this is worthy of recognition. As the son of the chief of the Norse tribe, he
Inheriting the Norscans' consistent bold style and character, when facing strong enemies, he behaves like a butcher. If he doesn't like it, he rushes to chop... Anyway, his foot injury has almost recovered. It's time to move around.
Stretch your muscles.
"Yes, we will have a big fight. But it's not like you said, defending the city or rushing in to fight them without thinking. I already have an idea."
Faced with the endless debate, Rhodes patted the table and signaled everyone to quiet down. In an instant, everyone's eyes focused on their lord again.
"Twenty days, this is enough for us to prepare for this battle. Yes, just like Bogur and Celta said, we will go out of the city and take the initiative to meet this Norse force heading south."
"Lord, you?"
Virgil's face was full of confusion, but Rhodes motioned him not to interrupt yet, waiting for him to finish speaking.
Rhodes made a gesture, then stood up and moved the three chess pieces symbolizing the strength of Blackhammer Castle to the position of the Troll Kingdom. That was the place where the Troll Kingdom and the Dark Forest bordered.
"The Norscan tribe... they are numerous and fierce, and their goal is directly at Blackhammer Castle. Yes, their troops are much larger than ours, three or even four times our number, but it is also because of this
, they will be arrogant and arrogant. When encountering such a force, the normal approach is that the lords will close the door tightly, collect food, and defend the castle. We will think so, and the group of northern plunderers will also think so. And
We will do the opposite, we will take the initiative and ambush them halfway."
Rhodes said as he fiddled with the small figures on the map.
"The large army of the tribe is now in the troll country. In half a month, they will leave the dangerous wilderness area and arrive in the dark forest. And we are here to intercept and kill them. They are full of confidence and vowed to attack
When they get off the castle, they don't expect that someone will ambush them halfway."
"Why choose here?"
asked Bogur the Butcher.
"Because of the terrain. Forest terrain is more suitable for ambush warfare. We need to find a good place in advance and arrange manpower. It will take at least three days from Blackhammer Castle to reach the front line. If Iron Ring City and Heidelberg are still willing to send troops,
We will gather the largest force we can in ten days. In ten days, the Norscan troops will just leave the troll country and enter the forest."
"Didn't you just say that it would take half a month for them to arrive in the Dark Forest?"
"Be smart, we have to measure more time. Nothing is just right. This is an estimate. What if the opponent advances faster than we think?"
Rhodes said.
"We must add at least five days between half a month and ten days. In this way, no matter how fast the Norscans are, they will not be able to penetrate our defense line in advance."
“Perfect plan!”
After Rhodes finished speaking, the dwarf Bogul stood up again and cheered loudly.
"Lawrence, Virgil, you will set off this afternoon to Heidelberg and the Iron Ring City respectively. Lawrence, you go to Heidelberg; Virgil, you go to the Iron Ring City. Varrel's side may be more difficult to get, and the Iron Ring City
, Aubrey should still agree. If that doesn't work, rent soldiers from them, and I will ask Muros to arrange the payment."
Finally, Rhodes stood up and gave his subordinates their respective tasks.