370: Chapter 359 The battle is fierce, but defeat is already evident.

Novak had seen tanks through the shadow recording crystal, but those were just images. Compared to seeing them with his own eyes, the shock they gave people was completely different.

At least, the routed coalition Soldiers thought so.

It advanced with a rumbling roar, crushing any obstacle in its path.

A Soldier looked back in panic, wanting to see if the tank had caught up, only to happen to see his shield, which he had dropped on the grass, being crushed into scrap metal.

He nearly cried out and then ran even faster.

The flight was not smooth.

In the perception of those who did not understand military affairs, the tank was a powerful but very cumbersome weapon.

The reality was exactly the opposite; tanks were not only agile and fast, but could even drift.

Had it not been for the need to accommodate the infantry advancing with them, the tank commanders would have long since caught up with the routed army and unleashed a bloody massacre.

Even so, ten minutes later, the First Armored Corps still caught up with the chaotic, fleeing coalition Soldiers.

There is no need to elaborate on what happened next.

Cannons roared, shells exploded among the Soldiers, dust flew, and Soldiers were sent flying outward.

When over a hundred tanks finally drove into the group of Soldiers lagging at the rear, countless screams immediately erupted.

Tracks rolled over corpses, and the sprayed blood stained the surrounding green grass red.

On the Lake side, infantry fired from behind the solid hulls of the tanks. Although the enemy was routed and there was no counterattack at all, the Soldiers still followed training protocols and did not easily leave the protection of the tanks.

With the infantry joining the fire, the casualties of the already heavily battered enemy army further increased.

The coalition Soldiers had completely given up resistance, including those Professionals capable of contending with tanks.

They had thought about dismantling the tanks, but they were surrounded by panic-stricken Soldiers. Even if they struck ruthlessly, swinging their longswords to cut down a swathe of Soldiers like wheat to clear some space, it would immediately be filled again by other surging Soldiers.

A few High-level Knights, relying on their exceptional personal strength, killed whoever blocked them and charged against the flow toward the tanks.

But just as he launched an attack, he was shot in the head by a bullet from an unknown source.

The infantryman who had raised his rifle to shoot turned his head to look. Behind him, several half-crouching snipers lowered their guns and waved at him with bright smiles.

The infantryman smiled back, turned, and continued the pursuit.

...

"Report!"

Novak, who had halted his army shortly after setting out, watched the Soldier running toward him, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

The Soldier arrived before his mount: "The vanguard has been ambushed by the enemy!"

"Status of the battle."

"Routed after ten minutes of engagement."

"Casualties?"

"Remaining... a few thousand."

Novak's eyelid twitched.

He had predicted that Lake would attack his vanguard and that his side would surely lose, which was why he had stopped not far from the main camp to prevent his formation from being disrupted by a large number of fleeing Soldiers.

However, it now seemed his worry had been a bit unnecessary.

A few thousand Soldiers could not possibly disrupt the formation of the main legion.

"How many enemy troops are there?"

"According to front-line reports, about several thousand infantry and over a hundred cavalry."

Cavalry?

Novak was puzzled for a moment, then suddenly understood.

That big thing was indeed similar to cavalry.

Speaking of cavalry...

He sat on the back of a magical beast and turned to look at the position of the Rhinoceros Cavalry.

Over twenty thousand Rhinoceros Cavalry stood quietly in place, their military bearing neat, the tips of their long spears reflecting a cold light, permeating an air of grim determination.

Should I use them...

Novak hesitated.

The coalition's greatest advantage over Lake was that their Saint-level power exceeded the opponent's. But now, his side's Saint-level individuals were unwilling to take even the slightest risk; as long as Lake's Saint-level individuals did not appear, they would not act.

In other words, the greatest advantage had already been lost.

Both sides could only rely on the power below the Saint-level for a head-on confrontation.

Even so, Novak originally had the certainty of victory.

The coalition's numbers, whether in terms of ordinary Soldiers or Professionals below the Saint-level, crushed Lake.

Who knew that Zhang Mu would not only come up with a bunch of strange weapons but also train a mysterious squad to assassinate his Magisters and Sky Knights.

As for the results, they could succeed multiple times in quiet, unpopulated places, let alone on a chaotic battlefield.

Considering all factors, this grand crusade by the coalition seemed destined to end in defeat.

Novak had the impulse to fight to the death, but in the end, he restrained himself.

Preserving strength and having the countries unite for defense might allow them to withstand Lake's counterattack. If this elite force were buried here, the destruction of the countries would likely have no room for maneuver.

But withdrawing now, Novak was unwilling.

After thinking for a long time, his eyes brightened slightly, and he ordered the entire army to retreat and exit the plains.

The order was conveyed to the entire army. After the remaining two legions converged, they marched toward Keton City, exited the plains, and camped in the mountains and forests.

The Command Post tent was quickly set up on the top of a mountain.

Novak stood by the table, leaning over, his gaze wandering over the map.

After a while, the adjutant lifted the curtain and walked in: "Lord Marshal, everything has been arranged according to your instructions.

The ordinary Soldiers are gathered on the hilltops near the main roads, and the Professionals are divided into squads of ten or more according to their levels and scattered throughout the mountain range.

Uh, Lord Marshal, what is the significance of this arrangement?"

Novak smiled: "Since we have more Professionals than Lake, we must naturally leverage our advantage.

Lake likes to fight with small squads of elite Soldiers, so I will compete with them to see whether Professionals are stronger, or those ordinary Soldiers holding strange weapons."

The adjutant understood and, without asking further, walked straight out of the tent.

Novak continued to look at the map, stopping only after half an hour with a sense of melancholy.

At this time, it would be good if there were talent proficient in war to discuss things with.

Novak was a commander recognized by all countries, and his military talent was unquestionable, but after all, he was only one person.

Many things needed others to help check for gaps and make up for deficiencies. Moreover, even if the suggestions were useless, they could inspire some inspiration.

The reason for the lack of strategists in the coalition was not that the countries did not have qualified people, but that they had never been discovered.

In the eyes of the kings, war was about high-end strength, about the Saint-level.

If the Saint-level won, no matter how many enemy troops there were, they would only be defeated. The same applied if they lost.

Therefore, in the Saul Continent, legions composed of ordinary Soldiers were less used for dealing with war and more for garrisoning cities, managing citizens, and maintaining order.

Novak straightened his half-bent waist, lifted the curtain, and walked to the open space in front of the tent, looking out at the rolling green mountains.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered news he had learned while chatting with Brando.

In the Lagu Kingdom, a competition to select officers was held every year, and there were no restrictions on identity, Professional level, background, etc., for the participants.

Through long-term persistence, the Lagu Kingdom's reserve of military talent was extremely rich. Every time Brando went on an expedition, he had a think tank composed of dozens of people to provide him with advice.

I also had... Hehe, it's too late to say these things now.

If the countries can withstand Lake's counterattack, I will definitely urge the kings to organize similar competitions.

Novak sighed and, before returning to the tent, took one last look at the entrance to the mountain range in the distance, where the heavy figures of tanks were slowly driving into the mountains.

...

The ban on the use of force in the Saul Continent had been lifted, but the continent, which had been suppressed for ten thousand years, did not instantly fall into ubiquitous slaughter.

At least, that was the case among the common people.

It was related to the influence of habit.

The people of the Saul Continent had not had physical conflicts in cities for over ten thousand years, and the cities had not experienced the flames of war for over ten thousand years; everyone was long accustomed to everything.

But since Pandora's box had already been opened, disputes would eventually come.

It just needed a little time. The current peaceful situation was extremely fragile, but it was still barely maintained.

People still lived peacefully in the cities, as if there was no difference from before the ban was lifted.

Except for Lake and the coalition.

It must be said that Novak was worthy of the trust of the kings of various countries and was a qualified commander.

After discovering that a head-on collision was difficult to win, he immediately made the decision to retreat and station the entire army in the mountainous area, thereby weakening the advantage of Lake's heavy weapons.

The effect was quite significant.

Tanks had good adaptability to complex road conditions, but it was still very difficult to operate in mountains with huge terrain drops and steep mountain walls.

At least, they could not go up the precipitous hilltops.

Domit initially had a headache when he discovered that the coalition's ordinary Soldiers were holding the hilltops, and only Professional squads were active at the foot of the mountains.

This was also the point Zhang Mu was most worried about before the war: the enemy army forming squads with Professionals to conduct guerrilla warfare, making it difficult for heavy weapons like tanks and howitzers to lock onto targets.

Fortunately, the snipers in the legion had been trained and formed, not fearing the coalition's low-tier Professional squads, while High-tier Professionals were handled by the Dam Squad.

Both sides entangled in the mountains and forests, with over a hundred skirmishes breaking out a day, each suffering losses.

As a result, the supplies consumed every day were naturally massive.

Zhang Mu did not care about this; he had a planet as a backup. What he found strange was, was the coalition not in a hurry to end the war?

Withdrawing or advancing could be understood, but what was the point of shrinking into the mountains?

Buddy, you are the invaders; why are you putting on a posture of being invaded by a strong enemy and only being able to rely on the terrain for defense?

Zhang Mu did not want a stalemate. He was very busy; after driving the coalition out of the territory, he had to immediately start the counterattack.

Not to mention completely destroying the countries, at least ensuring the coalition was unable to invade Lake again was necessary to start Seventeen's project.

Moreover, the pace of the Elf Army's raid had never stopped, and he had to free up his hands to deal with it.

Zhang Mu found Domit to discuss launching a general offensive.

However, there was still that trouble: the coalition had too many people.

Including the reorganized legions, Zhang Mu had less than one hundred thousand troops available.

After entering Lake, the coalition had suffered heavy losses many times, but they still had at least six hundred thousand people. Plus, drones had captured images of reinforcement legions from various countries crossing the eastern border, and this number would continue to rise.

With such a huge disparity in troop numbers, relying on the advantage of heavy weapons could barely beat the enemy into a bloody mess, but now the enemy was holding the hilltops, and Professional squads were roaming outside looking for artillery legions, so heavy weapons could not be easily exposed.

Attacking without the fire support of heavy weapons was obviously unrealistic.

Domit tried it once, with howitzers bombarding the hilltops and infantry regiments forcibly attacking the mountains.

The hilltops were taken, but the howitzer positions at the foot of the mountains were also destroyed by the coalition's Professionals.

It was not worth the loss.

After whispering for a few days, the two decided to mobilize the First Army equipped with magic-conducting weapons.

Once the magic-conducting weapons appeared, the original back-and-forth situation was immediately broken.

The howitzer positions were guarded by personnel from the First Army, and attacking Professional squads could not break through in a short time. Any slight delay, and snipers would arrive to pick them off.

The sacrifice number of the Professional squads was rising every day, but Novak seemed unwilling to exit the mountains, choosing to throw the Professionals from the reinforcements into the battlefield, increasing the number of people in each Professional squad from over ten to over twenty.

The Professional squads with greatly increased strength frequently attacked, destroying the heavy weapons of the Lake side everywhere.

If there were isolated tanks, they could not escape their clutches either.

After a few days, the results were remarkable. Lake had a large number of heavy weapons lost every day, and the advantage seemed to tilt toward the coalition side.

However, Novak and Domit were both clear in their hearts that the coalition's defeat was evident and irreversible.

...

Lake Command Post.

Domit and Zhang Mu stood one behind the other in front of the cave wall, looking up at the battle map hanging on the wall.

"Lord Marshal." Domit looked for a while and said, "Today's battle report has been compiled."

"Hmm, tell me."

"Our Soldiers' losses are minimal, but many heavy weapons have been destroyed.

On the coalition side, low-tier Professionals have suffered heavy losses, and as for High-tier Professionals, they have been intimidated by the Dam Squad and are no longer moving out much."

The Dam Squad expanded from three squads to five, and with the assistance of Zhang Mu's cost-no-object potions, all of them were promoted to Apprentice Level, and their combat effectiveness was raised to a higher level.

At the beginning of the entanglement between the two sides, the coalition's High-tier Professionals were arrogant on the front line for a period of time.

After Damu led the squad to the front line and assassinated a large number of High-tier Professionals, they dared not show their faces easily.

Zhang Mu laughed: "I have plenty of weapons; trading howitzers for the lives of the coalition's Professionals is too cost-effective."

Domit also smiled: "Yes.

After realizing the coalition was targeting heavy weapons, I deliberately concentrated the heavy weapons to lure them into attacking, then deployed heavy troops around them, waiting for them to come and die."

"Hmm." Zhang Mu nodded with his hands behind his back, "When there are not many low-tier Professionals left, no matter how many ordinary Soldiers there are, they can be easily annihilated."

Domit expressed agreement, then asked suspiciously: "Lord Marshal.

Recently, I have been sending out a large number of drones to search for the traces of the coalition's Saint-level individuals, but a month has passed, and there is no news at all.

The coalition's Saint-level individuals have not been seen taking action either. Do they have some conspiracy?

Or can Saint-level individuals blind the drones' vision?"

"I don't know if they can, but they indeed haven't appeared." Speaking of this, Zhang Mu also felt confused, "Blova and the others are hiding around the mountain range and haven't discovered the coalition's Saint-level individuals either.

Hmm... where did these people go?"

"Lord Marshal, if the coalition's Saint-level individuals always hide, will our rash launch of a general offensive..."

"There is no need to worry about this. As long as Blova and the others do not move, where would the coalition's Saint-level individuals get the courage to expose themselves first."

"I understand."

For the next month, Domit followed the original plan, using heavy weapons as bait to lure the coalition's Professional squads to their deaths.

Novak had considered delaying the destruction of the heavy weapons.

But as soon as the Professional squads' offensive eased slightly, Lake immediately bombarded the hilltops, beating the coalition into retreating step by step, and their activity space was constantly being compressed.

This continued for two months, and the coalition finally could not bear the burden, with the entire army withdrawing from the mountain area and fleeing toward Keton City.

Domit would certainly not let go of the opportunity to beat the drowning dog, mobilizing the First Armored Corps to pursue, while sending drones to follow and monitor from high altitude to prevent the coalition from setting up ambushes.