Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Night Raid
Robson watched the distant enemy. The Beastmen had entered their field of vision, and with his Extraordinary physique, Robson could already see their movements clearly.
"My lord, are they making camp? Should we arrange a night raid?" Baron Dodger asked from beside him.
Although the nobles’ armies had been assigned as auxiliary troops, they were, in themselves, a form of Extraordinary power.
After all, while there was no official rule, a noble without any personal power couldn’t possibly survive in the Frank Kingdom.
Not to mention, even in the south of the Kingdom, magical beasts frequently descended from the mountains. If a noble couldn’t even deal with them, he might as well quit.
So as not to let them go to waste, Robson simply gathered everyone around him for easy deployment, calling it an opportunity to observe and learn advanced techniques.
Everyone was naturally happy about this. After all, the quality of Robson’s troops was plain for all to see.
In this day and age, what family didn’t closely guard its own secret techniques? Yet Robson was letting them learn for free. Why wouldn’t they jump at the chance?
"They will definitely attack by tomorrow morning at the latest," Robson said, shaking his head.
It just went to show that Baron Dodger was still too young and didn’t understand much about war.
In truth, it wasn’t just Baron Dodger. The education the southern nobles provided for their kin had always been purely theoretical.
After all, the southern nobles weren’t like the Northern Nobles, who lived under the constant threat of Beastmen attacks. An invasion every thirty years might sound frequent, but for most nobles, that was half a lifetime.
This had led to the generally low military quality of the nobles on the Western Front. After some high-level political maneuvering, the Western Front was now basically staffed by southern nobles alone. Valentino, of course, was an exception.
"These Beastmen are here on a surprise raid, so they couldn’t have brought many provisions. They have to either retreat immediately or launch an attack right away," Robson explained.
Any noble with some experience understood this. It just proved how young Baron Dodger was.
’After all, if he weren’t so young, he wouldn’t have been able to embezzle nearly half a warehouse’s worth of supplies at once and still leave incriminating evidence. A total greenhorn.’
As soon as Robson finished speaking, the nobles present showered him with endless praise.
There were, after all, some older nobles in Qimo Fortress. Although they hadn’t experienced the last Beastman invasion, having lived so long, they had all learned a bit of military common sense.
But knowing was one thing; it didn’t stop them from sucking up to their leader.
"Bo Yang, have the reserves come up. All soldiers of the first regiment are to rest in their armor. Be on guard for a night raid," Robson ordered.
Most of the soldiers in the first regiment were Tier 3 and above. According to the standards of the Frankish Nobles, this was already the level of elite troops.
For soldiers at Tier 3 and above, controlling their own rest and sleep was a basic skill.
After all, on the battlefield, you never knew when the enemy might attack. Lack of sleep left you out of shape, but sleeping too deeply could get you killed for real.
"Yes, my lord," Bo Yang acknowledged the order.
"My lord, what about me? Perhaps we could deploy the Cavalry and launch an attack while the enemy is retreating," Claude said, a look of excitement on his face.
The battles of the past few days obviously hadn’t been enough action for Claude. Robson had heard him talk about the Beastmen more than once these past few days.
"Cavalry, await orders," Robson commanded.
"Alright." Claude was slightly disappointed, but since his lord had given the order, he knew better than to argue.
....
"My lord, is there truly no other way for us?" Elimon asked, looking at the Potion in his hand.
"Enough with the nonsense! Don’t you want to serve the Beast Emperor?" Daimon, annoyed by the question, snapped with a frown.
Elimon shuddered, hesitated for a moment, but still drank the "Blessing of the Beast God."
Seeing their Chieftain had acted, the Gnolls behind Elimon all drank their Potions.
Watching Elimon carry out his order, Daimon’s expression softened considerably.
’After all, we are all compatriots of the Beastman Empire, all followers of the Beast God. I can’t push them too hard.’
In recent years, many voices within the Beastman Empire had risen up against the exploitation of lower-class races, although everyone knew it was just to curry favor and gather cannon fodder for themselves.
But it had some effect, nonetheless. Besides, Daimon still needed this group of Gnolls to do his bidding.
"Rest assured. With your natural Gnoll talent, your night vision is far superior to that of humans.
Plus, this is a surprise attack; they won’t be able to react in time. As long as you open the city gates, I will personally report your great service to His Highness," Daimon promised.
"And what if something unexpected happens?" Elimon asked.
"What could go wrong? Open the gates, and you live. Understand?" Daimon’s expression tightened.
"Yes, General."
....
In the end, Elimon couldn’t resist the pressure. Urged on by Daimon, he obediently led his troops and set out.
It was just that the marching speed of the entire Jackal Wolfman Tribe was just a little bit abnormal. No one was a fool; they all understood the nature of this mission.
"All of you, pick up the pace! If you delay the General’s important work, every last one of you will be meeting the Beast God!" Elimon shouted helplessly, urging his troops forward.
’Now that they were on the move, the only path left for him was to open the enemy’s gates.’
’At this pace, the enemy will be fully mobilized before we even touch the walls.’
After disciplining a few tribesmen who were slacking off, the Gnolls’ marching speed clearly increased quite a bit.
As time passed, the Potions slowly began to take effect. The pupils of the Gnolls gradually turned blood-red...
When they were less than a hundred meters from the walls, torches flared high, and the entire legion began to charge.
.....
"Night raid! Night raid!"
"Everyone up! Check your weapons and get to your posts! Reserves, relieve the resting soldiers! Be ready to take their place at any time!"
In stark contrast to the Gnolls’ turtle-paced attack, the Soldiers of Qimo Fortress began to mobilize the instant they realized it was a night raid.
The veterans of the first regiment, needless to say, were masters of this. A seasoned soldier can control their own sleep at will.
Waking instantly, they grabbed their weapons and were ready for battle.
The entire city wall was a scene of bustling activity, with Soldiers crisscrossing to their posts.
At this moment, Robson stood with the nobles of Qimo Fortress, watching this scene.
’This is also a demonstration of power. My foothold on the Western Front has always been built on strength—on these elite, fierce soldiers under my command!’
’Schemes and plots are just icing on the cake. To make others truly submit, you must be backed by your own hard power.’
Evidently, judging from the envious expressions of the nobles behind him, his show of muscle was a success. Some of them were even beginning to discuss whether they should follow Viscount Luke’s example and pay Robson to train their troops.
In this war-torn society, the foundation of a noble’s standing was still the troops under his command.
