Chapter 212: Chapter 176: Retreat
This was clearly unsuited for Frankish wartime needs. So, to adapt to the pace of war, the Frankish Nobles would typically write the battle’s final outcome on the last page of the letter.
"The Beastmen have been halted outside the city walls by our forces. We await the swift arrival of our allies to complete the encirclement and repay the grace of His Majesty Louis III."
In an instant, the expressions that flashed across Earl Wei Man’s face were a sight to behold. It began with a hint of worry, then shifted to surprise and joy, before he immediately schooled his features into an indifferent mask, as if he had foreseen it all, projecting an air of complete confidence.
"Why the panic? The greater the danger, the calmer we must be. His Majesty the King entrusted this mission to us. Are we to act like this just because we’ve encountered a minor setback?" Earl Wei Man’s tone dripped with cold sarcasm.
Earl Wei Man was putting on quite the performance, but the other anxious nobles weren’t buying his act.
"What is happening at the front? Quickly, let us see... That is the only way we can make a more informed decision." The speaker was the same Viscount from before. He seemed to realize that speaking to Earl Wei Man this way was improper, so he added a more diplomatic closing.
The Viscount’s words fanned the flames of the other nobles’ anxiety.
Earl Wei Man knew this was no time to pull rank. He handed the letter to Viscount Valro, who was standing beside him.
Just as everyone turned their expectant gazes upon Viscount Valro, his face filled with utter astonishment.
"Well? How many are left at Thermopylae?"
"Hey! Valro! Say something!"
"They’re all there..." Viscount Valro finally managed to choke out.
The moment he spoke, the room fell silent—except, that is, for Earl Wei Man. He was calmly sipping water, kept at the ready by his personal guards.
"What did you say?" The anxious Viscount asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"They’re all there! I mean, Baron Robson and Prince Noah held the fortress!
They held it all! The Beastmen failed to take a single inch of ground!"
"It’s hard to believe, but see for yourselves." Viscount Valro handed over the letter to be passed around.
Every Viscount and Baron snatched the letter eagerly, desperate to see the report from the front. After all, the lives of every noble present hinged on it.
"He’s even suggesting we regroup and prepare our army before advancing..."
Seeing the mood had reached its peak, Earl Wei Man decided it was time. He stood and clapped his hands.
"Alright, settle down! Quiet!"
No one listened. The nobles continued chatting among themselves. Expecting this, Earl Wei Man slammed his hand on the table.
"This council is still in session! Everyone! Silence!" Earl Wei Man played his trump card—the articles of war—and fixed them with a severe glare.
This time, the chatter finally subsided, gradually fading into silence. Whether it was due to the articles of war or Earl Wei Man’s authority was hard to say.
"Excellent. Our allies have created a brand-new opening for us!
The Beastmen are not invincible. This proves that the land itself favors us! Whenever the tide of war is about to turn against us, a hero always emerges to save the day!
But the Beastmen are not yet defeated! We must rendezvous with the defenders of Thermopylae as quickly as possible and completely crush their plot!
My friends, Marquis Oscillate himself has promised us all the Piscono Beer we can drink when this war is won!
For beer, and for the kingdom!" Earl Wei Man was a master of managing morale. With just a few words, he dispelled their earlier tension and even calmed the jittery excitement brought on by the great news from Thermopylae.
The nobles were at once overjoyed and fired up, but by the end of his speech, their mindsets had returned to a state of calm, just as they had been when they first set out from Sirich Fortress.
A level head is crucial for an army. Agitation leads to carelessness, and tension leads to mistakes.
An Elite Army, no matter the hardship, will always wait calmly for its officers’ orders before carrying out its mission.
"For beer, and for the kingdom!" the nobles roared in unison.
....
While Earl Wei Man was holding his council, General Griff was receiving a "stream of good news" of his own.
Overall, General Griff’s tactics had been quite simple. The first approach was to use Extraordinary Soldiers to punch a hole in the defenses, allowing the Beastman Soldiers to seize the walls and press their numerical advantage.
In General Griff’s mind, this was the ideal plan.
The second was a war of attrition: charge relentlessly for a full day and night, and take the walls with sheer bodies.
After all, this was a sneak attack, a blitz. General Griff had only been given one day. The objective was speed, precision, and ferocity.
As it stood, both plans had failed.
In truth, General Griff had suspected this would be the outcome ever since the first assault by the Beastman Extraordinary Infantry failed. The Extraordinary Infantry had launched many more charges, but the human Knights and Soldiers on the other side had already perfected their method for dealing with them.
In the beginning, they could at least reach the walls. But soon, the humans’ response time became so fast that Griff began to suspect they somehow knew his plans in advance. Before his troops could even begin their ascent, enemy reinforcements were already in place.
As for the human-wave tactic...
General Griff had abandoned that plan long ago. The roar of the human Magic Crystal Cannons was simply too terrifying. Crucially, General Griff had no idea how much ammunition the humans at Thermopylae had in reserve, and he couldn’t gamble with his soldiers’ lives.
Besides, even if his soldiers survived the Magic Crystal Cannons’ kill zone and reached the base of the walls, scaling them under the crossfire of the enemy’s Magic Crossbows was still an incredibly difficult task.
General Griff realized the defenders were not just on par with his own army—they were a cut above.
This made things very difficult. The enemy had the terrain advantage, and time was not on his side.
’Unless the enemy commander suddenly loses his mind and decides to gift me the pass, the outcome of this struggle is already a foregone conclusion.’
"General, everything is packed and ready."
General Griff turned to see his adjutant, Sovin.
General Griff nodded.
"Then make the preparations. It’s time to retreat," General Griff said.
There was no other choice. According to the message from the Thunderhawk, the enemy reinforcements were only a day’s march away. If they didn’t pull back now, it would be too late.
General Griff gazed at the magnificent fortress before him and sighed.
’We couldn’t take it, but at least our losses weren’t too heavy.’
’Still, failing to take Thermopylae means the Beastmen’s plan for a swift victory is shattered. What comes next will be a prolonged war of attrition.’
’Prince Kase might even change his entire offensive strategy. Once Thermopylae’s defenses are reinforced, he’ll be forced to choose between this fortress and the mountains further south.’
’The southern mountain region is better suited for large-scale army movements, where the Beastmen can truly leverage their numerical superiority.’
His mission had failed. But the only thing General Griff was worried about was General Curry.
’After all, I’m well aware that even in failure, I still command tens of thousands of soldiers. Prince Kase will still have use for me.’
’General Curry, on the other hand... he suffered devastating losses.’
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