"So soon?"
"What should we do now?"
After hearing the messenger's report, everyone in the tent turned pale with shock. They weren't prepared for this at all...
"Quiet! Everyone, return to your barracks at once! Begin an orderly retreat up the mountain. I will give you the order of withdrawal."
"Any legion that hasn't received the order will defend on my command later. Anyone who retreats without authorization will be treated as a deserter!"
Just as panic was setting in, Robson stepped forward.
"Do as Sir Robson says. His plan is my plan," said Knight Ed.
After hearing this, the crowd finally fell silent, their eyes fixed on Robson, awaiting his commands.
Robson let out a long breath, his mind racing to assess the situation.
"The 1st, 8th, and 12th legions will assemble in front of the barracks at full speed. The 15th and 16th legions will retreat up the mountain and begin preparing the cheval de frise. The 3rd legion will hold the center and await orders. All Transcendents who are not Officers, report to me," Robson commanded.
He was essentially keeping all the capable fighters and letting the combat-ineffective Peasants retreat first.
If the Peasants were left as the rearguard, they would likely rout and break ranks immediately. After all, the army's morale was already low.
While issuing these orders, Robson moved his own troops to the very front.
This served two purposes. First, it stabilized morale by showing everyone he would personally cover their retreat.
Second, Robson didn't trust the Peasant Soldiers. If they were routed and ended up crashing into his own forces, the situation would become unsalvageable.
"Alright, everyone, move out and prepare," Robson instructed.
"Yes, sir!"
....
After issuing the orders, Robson sent Ed to fetch reinforcements. This wasn't just because of Knight Ed's status; it was mainly because while Knight Ed's combat prowess was questionable, his courage was even more lacking.
Under the watchful eyes of the other nobles, Robson led his army to the front line. Only then did the others, finally reassured, depart to carry out their tasks.
Robson gathered all the Archers. There were over 800 of them, and with his own 200, the total came to about 1,000.
Robson divided the Archers from the other Officers' units into three groups, keeping his own separate.
He arranged the 800 men into nine ranks, placing a skilled archer at the front of each to act as a guide for alignment.
Robson didn't know if it would be effective, but it was better than nothing.
He then divided his own Archers into two units. One consisted of 120 Tier Three Frankish Archers, and the other had over 70 Tier Four Frank Skilled Shooters.
As for a shield wall, Robson's three hundred men were clearly not enough. So, he had all the wagons in the camp dragged to the front and scattered them about, hoping they could delay the enemy, if only for a short time.
Of course, the most crucial element was the 30 Transcendents Robson had gathered.
"They're here."
Robson looked ahead, taking a deep breath.
A great, dark tide of figures began to swarm into view, charging forward with blades and clubs raised.
The one in the lead even looked familiar...
That's right, the leader was once again Ode. He had previously led his forces to a disastrous defeat and thought his career as a commander was over. But then, a stroke of luck led him to capture a Viscount, which in turn drew the attention of the Count.
The Chieftain was overjoyed. And since the Chieftain himself needed to control the Water Dragon Entwining Array, he gave Ode full command.
This time, Ode brought 3,000 Gnolls, including at least fifty Transcendents and 800 Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen.
Ode had learned his lesson. He planned to send the cannon fodder in first, keeping the 800 Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen behind him.
Once the cannon fodder charged into Robson's lines, he would lead the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen in. Then, he would rely on their melee superiority to crush the enemy.
Robson saw through the Gnolls' plan. The ones charging were just ordinary Gnolls, while the group behind them, radiating a scarlet, blood-red aura, showed no signs of advancing at all.
Robson had no easy counter to this strategy.
The ordinary Gnolls in front advanced at a sluggish pace, dawdling for what felt like an eternity.
Only when they were within 150 paces did Robson give the order to fire.
After the order was given, the entire formation visibly hesitated for several seconds before Soldiers began to nock their arrows and draw their bows.
Robson nearly swore out loud. He knew these Soldiers were unreliable, but he hadn't expected them to be *this* useless.
'Damn these nobles! If I ever get the chance, I'll personally boot every lord who "trained" this rabble into the sky!'
Cursing inwardly, Robson's mind raced for a solution.
The distant Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen were clearly waiting. They were either waiting for Robson's own forces to engage, or for the ordinary Gnolls to close the distance so they could then charge in and leverage their melee superiority.
"You shooters, with me," Robson commanded, pointing to the formation of Frank Skilled Shooters.
His only hope now lay in the strength of his Tier Four Soldiers. 'Please let the system be reliable,' he thought.
Eighty Frank Skilled Shooters formed up in a line, arrayed like a long serpent before Robson.
"See them over there? High-arcing volleys!" Robson ordered, pointing to the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen watching the show from over two hundred meters away.
The Frank Skilled Shooters didn't reply. They simply drew their bows, all held at the exact same angle.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
With a piercing whistle, a volley of feathered arrows flew. In an instant, they became messages from the Death God, their sharp tips plunging accurately into the dense pack of Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen.
"Ding! Frank Skilled Shooter has slain a Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfman Warrior. +300 Experience."
"Ding! Frank..."
Robson didn't even look at the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen's reaction. His system panel was already flooded; more than fifty lines of green text had appeared almost simultaneously.
In the distance, Ode saw the arrows coming and expertly threw himself to the ground, grabbing a nearby Gnoll to use as a shield.
When he looked up again, he heard the agonized cries of several of his kin. The Gnoll he'd used as a shield had an arrow straight through its heart.
Ode stared at the arrow, which had punched through worn leather armor and sunk deep into flesh and bone. He was frozen in place, unable to process what he was seeing.
Every second on the battlefield was precious. As he stood there dazed, the second volley of arrows arrived.
"Spread out! Charge! Spread out!" Ode roared to those around him.
"All Transcendents, activate your Fighting Qi Body Protection! Charge with me!" Ode commanded.
The moment he spoke, the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen scattered, each one terrified of being a step too slow.
Ode got to his feet and looked at the blood splattered all around him. The old fear, the memory of being dominated by arrows, rose in his heart once more.
'It's hopeless! So many dead again!'
Ode's heart was gripped with dread. He knew his Chieftain all too well. If he led the troops to another crushing defeat, his own fate would be grim...
"Human! You will die for this!" With no other choice, Ode committed to a full-frontal assault.
His eyes instantly flooded with crimson. A chorus of wolf-like howls erupted behind him as over fifty Gnoll Transcendents unleashed their scarlet Fighting Qi, their muscles swelling and bursting through their shabby leather armor.
"The first one to reach them gets a hundred Magic Crystals!"
After shouting this, Ode took the lead himself, charging straight for Robson.
'Are they getting desperate?' Robson hadn't expected them to fly into a rage after just two volleys of arrows.
By now, the enormous red aura in the distance had vanished, replaced by hundreds of scattered, smaller red dots.
If the Bloodthirsty Jackal Wolfmen couldn't fight in a cohesive group, they were only slightly more frenzied than ordinary Gnolls.
The real problem, however, was the group of Transcendents, gathered together and radiating Fighting Qi. They were Robson's greatest threat.