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Beyond the chaotic chaos in the capital, forces were stirring in all directions of the empire, from east to west and north to south. In the north, the Northern Alliance, led by Dick Best, was making a high-profile move to fight the orcs while other forces were busy vying for control of the capital.

In the south, the Dragon Valley Group, led by Prince Heinz, also had over 100,000 troops and remained stationary on the southern border, which greatly alarmed the Third Prince Group, which was also recruiting soldiers in the south.

The third prince disliked this young "royal uncle" because, legally, he also had the right to inherit the throne of Hessen. Moreover, in this special period, no matter how high your position is, you still need to have the strength to support you.

As for the other heir to the throne, the Fifth Prince, his whereabouts remain unknown.

Chapter 327: One Battle Decides the Fate

After more than ten days of marching, the vanguard of the Northern Alliance has successfully advanced to a position less than fifty kilometers from the Orc capital, in accordance with the battle plan.

Dick also led his elite troops ashore and joined the vanguard.

Behind the vanguard was the main force of the central army, with a total strength of 60,000 men. Because of their large number of personnel and supplies, their advance was slower than that of the vanguard and they were also harassed by orcs more frequently.

Another 20,000 men did not participate in the expedition; they were deployed at the bridgehead to prevent orcs from raiding their base.

Although the orc raids were frequent, fortunately, most of the junior officers in the central army, who formed the backbone of the force, were veterans who had fought in the winter war, and many of them had been rotated to the fjord defense line in the past few years.

These veterans had fought many small groups of orcs that infiltrated the border region, so they were very experienced in dealing with orc raids.

The two sides exchanged blows, but the orcs managed to gain very little advantage.

This battle was of great significance to the Northern Alliance and even the entire North!

Dick didn't resort to any clever tricks or schemes; instead, he directly assembled an army of 100,000 and launched a full-scale attack on the orcs.

Firstly, it addresses the potential threats from the north, ensuring that one has no worries about the future.

Secondly, it can help cure the long-standing "orc phobia" in the northern region.

This problem was manageable in the Northeast, the core of the Northern Alliance. After all, the locals had great confidence in their proud leader, and the Northern Alliance had never lost a battle against the beasts. This had given the local military and civilians confidence and established Dick's strong personal prestige.

But outside the northeast, especially in the northwest where the inhabitants suffered the most during several orc invasions, the fear of orcs was almost ingrained in their very bones.

If this problem is not solved, the population will continue to flow out, which will greatly affect the future development of the region. After all, if people cannot even "settle down" in a stable place, they should not expect the place to "work happily".

On the orc side, seeing the human army advancing fiercely, Ramon felt extremely troubled.

Today, after several years of development, the Orcs have significantly improved their nation's strength, but some drawbacks have also begun to emerge.

Standing on the newly built city wall, Ramon looked back at the orc capital behind him, his heart filled with mixed emotions, including boundless pride and deep concern.

A few years ago, the humans launched a surprise attack on the orc capital, burning most of the city to ashes. Fortunately, the people and resources they plundered from human territory during their first southward expedition were plentiful.

So they used the captured human slaves to rebuild the city on the ruins.

Tall, sturdy stone walls replaced the original simple wooden fences, and the city was no longer filled with piles of messy, dilapidated tents, but with many brick and wood houses, and even a "palace" that the orcs considered quite luxurious.

The entire orc race truly enjoyed the benefits of the invasion, and many tribal chiefs even lived a life of luxury like human nobles.

However, as life improved, the tribal problems within the orcs were not effectively resolved, and new problems arose as well.

The most pressing conflict is the criticism from tribal chiefs and elders regarding Ramon's heavy reliance on human black-robed advisors (Earthlings) and his promotion of half-orc hybrids.

Ramon needs time—time to develop his nation and army, time to resolve internal conflicts among the orcs, and even more time to raise his infant orc offspring to adulthood.

However, the humans clearly weren't going to give him that much time!

Upon learning that the vanguard of the Northern Alliance was less than two days away from the Orcish capital, Ramon felt that the time was almost right.

He had previously ordered the main orc force to retreat, allowing the vanguard of the allied forces to penetrate deeper into the territory. At the same time, he sent out a large number of small units to carry out high-intensity night raids on the relatively slow-moving central army, slowing down their advance as much as possible and creating distance between them and the vanguard.

So far, this tactic has been executed quite successfully, with the two Northern Union forces now clearly separated, more than 30 kilometers apart.

However, what puzzled Ramon was that, based on his understanding of his opponent, the guy named Dick was very cunning, and he shouldn't be so rigid in his fighting style.

Ramon couldn't figure out his opponent's thoughts for a moment, but since the enemy's army was pressing in and had already reached their doorstep, the orcs had no reason not to fight back.

"Pass on my order: take action tonight!"

The current "Great Wilderness Khanate" has five main military corps with a standing force of over 100,000. The orcs are generally strong and robust with a fierce and valiant culture, making it possible for almost the entire population to be soldiers.

Logically, they had a numerical advantage and were playing on home ground in a defensive posture, so it seemed like the advantage was in their hands. However, Ramon still felt uneasy...

As Ramon's attack order was relayed via eagles, the four orc legions that had been lingering near the main human force immediately launched an assault.

A total of 80,000 well-equipped and well-trained (relatively speaking) orc soldiers approached the encampment, which had only 60,000 human soldiers.

The legion commanders who led them in battle had previously observed the human army's camps in secret. They found that the enemy would only advance twenty kilometers a day before stopping to set up camp.

Human soldiers would use planks and tarpaulins mounted on wagons to assemble walls that appeared to offer little defense, seemingly serving only to block the wind and keep warm. Two types of sentry posts, one mobile and one fixed, would be set up around the perimeter of the walls to guard against night raids by small groups of orcs.

Inside the camp on the inner side of the wall, the humans would set up tents close to the wall. From the air, the druids, who could transform into eagles, would see the tents in the camp arranged in circles, like the rings of a tree.

Having learned about the human camp's layout, the orc commanders of the four legions felt much more at ease. All they had to do was launch a full-scale assault, smash through the seemingly flimsy walls, and then slaughter the human minions inside.

That night, a new moon hung in the sky, and the darkness was so intense that it was almost impossible for the humans to see their own hands. The fires within the human camp served as the only beacons in the darkness, guiding the four orc legions that were closing in on them towards their destination.

Tens of thousands of orcs only launched their charge when they were within a kilometer's reach, unleashing a deafening roar. The human sentries guarding the perimeter of the camp seemed to be terrified by this powerful force, turning around and running back into the camp, not daring to engage in direct combat.

Upon seeing this, the orc cavalry at the forefront grinned triumphantly and spurred their mounts to smash through the thin wooden wall.

However, when these orc cavalrymen wielded their gleaming greatswords and cleaved open the outermost tents, they did not see panicked human soldiers, but rather huge pits with spikes at the bottom.

As the orc cavalry at the front entered the pit, dozens of flares suddenly rose into the air within the camp, flying like small suns and illuminating the area around the camp as bright as day.

Many orcs were blinded by the bright light and couldn't see what was in front of them for a moment, but they still charged forward with howls. Then, a series of crisp sounds came from ahead.

The "rat-a-tat-tat" sound seemed familiar to some of the orc veterans who had participated in the siege of the pass fortress; it sounded like human muskets. However, in their memory, such a terrifying sound should not have been so frequent and continuous...

Chapter 328: Times Have Changed

Advances in metallurgy allowed the orc army to equip itself with large quantities of metal armor and swords. The acquisition of these once-coveted weapons boosted the morale of the orc soldiers, who felt that times had changed.

Coincidentally, the Northern Alliance also had "new toys," and they also felt that times had changed!

In order to rush forward as quickly as possible, the orc soldiers in the night raid mostly charged in dense formations. As a result, the guy at the very front fell headfirst into a huge pit, while the infantry following behind didn't even see the faces of the human soldiers before being cut down like wheat in rows!

There's a reason why the main force of the central army is advancing slowly: the reason lies in this camp full of pits.

"This is practically a replica of the Battle of the Somme from another world!"

On the ocean surface a dozen kilometers away from the battlefield, Yuan Qiu was surveying the entire battlefield from the high-altitude perspective of his carrier-based aircraft.

Her second squadron was responsible for providing reconnaissance for the main force of the central army.

As the only aircraft carrier ship girl under Dick's command, Encho is mostly responsible for reconnaissance work.

After all, she was a ship girl from the "Magic Route," and the carrier-based aircraft she launched could be any size, and even their shapes didn't have to resemble airplanes. The orcs on the ground would never have imagined that they were being watched the entire time by a flying, fat yellow chicken.

Seeing that the battle had turned into a one-sided massacre due to the manifestation of the "Great Compassionate Gatling Bodhisattva", Yuan Qiu guessed that the Saint-level powerhouses on the orc side would have to take action, but the main force of the central army, numbering 60,000, naturally also had equally powerful protectors.

Black and White Joan of Arc and Sister Gigante are all Saint-ranked, while Joel and Huynh also possess combat power equivalent to high-ranking warriors. Dick has also specially equipped them with many magical items to enhance their combat power.

Of course! Yuanchou won't just stand by and watch; if necessary, she'll step in!

As expected! Each of the four orc legions was commanded by a Saint-level expert. Seeing that the orc soldiers couldn't advance at all, three of them couldn't sit still any longer.

It's worth mentioning that among these three orcish saint-level warriors, there was an old acquaintance who had dealt with humans quite a bit—the great druid who could transform into a nightmare dragon.

After this guy transformed, Yi Long rushed up to help him, but halfway there he was kicked into the ground by a giant nun who fell from the sky.

Previously, Qigante had been in miniature, sitting on the carrier-based aircraft of the Vengeful Spirit, waiting in the air. The Nightmare Dragon just happened to pass by her. The dead-fish-eyed nun was not about to let go of such a good opportunity, and directly transformed into a "heavy woman" in the physical sense. She was almost kicked apart by the druid's transformation!

Meanwhile, at two other locations on the battlefield, Black and White Jeanne each confronted their respective targets, preventing them from having the opportunity to attack ordinary soldiers.

Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals—this is the norm on the battlefield in this world. While the extraordinary Saint-level warriors are indeed powerful, with high-end combat strength being roughly equal, the key to victory or defeat on the battlefield falls to conventional troops.

Over the past few years, Dick has been committed to large-scale industrialization in Lagog. Many weapons under secret development have actually been completed in secret, but have been kept hidden.

After numerous encounters with the orcs, Dick had long realized that if both sides were equipped and trained to a similar level, orc soldiers would be stronger than human soldiers. This was a racial difference and an undeniable objective fact.

It can be said that, apart from their intelligence, orcs are superior to humans in every aspect of physical ability.

Fortunately, the human race has a higher overall level of civilization and possesses guns and cannons! Under the guidance of Ruby Eye, Ragug has already created early versions of Gatling rotary machine guns and light mortars, which are now killing orc soldiers in large numbers.

In fact, Ramon had considered making guns and cannons, but unfortunately the orcs' industrial foundation was too poor. Even though he had a group of Earthlings who hated the Empire to the core to assist him, some things are like a skilled cook without rice.

Moreover, the orcs in the past had neither rice nor cooking utensils!

This one-sided massacre lasted for less than an hour before ending with the orc army's rout.

The orc soldiers were indeed fierce, but they weren't so insane as to seek death. The key issue was that they simply couldn't charge forward; the area in front of the human army's positions was already littered with orc corpses.

"We can't keep going, or we'll lose everything. Let's retreat!"

Seeing their soldiers suffer heavy casualties, the orc legion commanders could no longer bear it and quickly ordered the retreat to be sounded.

However, the battlefield is not a public restroom; it's not a place where just anyone can come and go as they please. Seeing the orcs trying to escape, the allied forces immediately began their pursuit.

Just as Ramon hoped to cripple the elite of the Northern Alliance, Dick also wanted to eliminate the orcs' fighting force. The reason why the main force of the central army was moving so slowly, and even deliberately falling behind and creating distance from the vanguard, was to lure the main force of the orcs to come and attack them.

This wasn't exactly a brilliant tactic, but Ramon had no choice but to bite.

Even if the main force of the central army moves slowly, it is steadily approaching the orc capital. If Ramon does not want to give up the capital or fight on his doorstep, he has no choice but to take the initiative.

As it turns out, when you have enough cards in your hand, there's no need to take risks and gamble.

In just one night, the four main orc legions suffered heavy losses, with half of the 80,000 soldiers deployed in the battle gone, and a Saint-level expert also lost.

Dick and Ramon received the news at almost the same time, by which time the vanguard had already approached to within 20 kilometers of the orc capital.

As a result, the elders who were full of confidence yesterday and thought that "our orc legion is invincible" are now all panicking.

Ramon was shocked by the failure of the surprise attack, but not surprised. Unlike the tribal chiefs and elders, Ramon had never underestimated the strength of the human race. However, his lack of understanding and insufficient intelligence led him to seriously underestimate his opponent.

Looking at the elders arguing like shrewish women in the Beast King's Hall, Ramon couldn't help but let out a contemptuous sneer. He felt it was time to make that decision.

"Everyone, calm down!"

Inside the main hall, Ramon rose and roared, which stunned the elders. His majestic gaze swept across the entire hall, making the elders somewhat flustered, but they forced themselves to remain calm and not appear intimidated.

These elders were the representatives of the major orc tribes. Ramon's ability to become the Beast King was not only due to his own strength and prestige, but also inseparable from the support of these major tribes.

However, as the country developed, the existence of these large tribes became an obstacle for Ramon to further strengthen central authority, and he had long wanted to "get rid of" these guys.

Chapter 329: The Enemy at the Gates

The orcs' surprise attack failed, and the Northern Alliance army continued its steady advance, once again reaching the edge of the orcs' sacred land, where they set up camp right under the orcs' noses.

This situation is strikingly similar to the Winter War of several years ago, except that the roles of attacker and defender have been reversed.

The elders at the top were panicked, while the lower and middle-class orcs found it hard to understand. Humans were clearly a weak race; their adults were not even as strong as half-grown orc cubs. In the "War of the Hunt" (the orcs' internal name) a few years ago, Ramon's army invaded human territory and utterly defeated the armies of those so-called nobles.

But how did they become so strong in just a few years?

The orc idiots below couldn't understand, but Ramon knew perfectly well that it wasn't that humans had become stronger, but rather that they had started to take things seriously.

If the human race is not strong, how can they replace the elves as the overlords of the continent?

If humans are not strong, why would orcs insist on settling in the wasteland?

Is it because the scenery is beautiful in this desolate, freezing place?

The reason why the orcs were able to gain such a great advantage in the hunting war a few years ago was precisely because the humans were careless and underestimated their enemy, and the empire's economic and military focus had always been in the south, with its main forces not in the north.

Ramon was well aware of these circumstances, so after unifying the various orc tribes, he first bided his time for several years to lull the human lords in the north into a false sense of security, and then launched a surprise attack on them.

The various lords of the northern human race were acting independently and were completely unprepared, so they were naturally beaten to a pulp by the orc army that was "clenched into a fist".

Even if you asked Dick to comment, he would say that the orcs fought a brilliant battle, and that Ramon, the orc king, was a truly intelligent guy. However, many orcs felt that they won by sheer force.

However, times have changed. Although the empire as a whole is still in the same sorry state, and has even become a headless giant due to the civil war in the capital, a true leader has emerged in the north. He has also begun to "clench his fist" and fight back against the orcs. As a result, he has only clenched less than half of the power in the north, but he has already beaten the orcs so badly that they cannot withstand it.

Dick was by no means a loyal subject of the Empire, but he never betrayed humanity.

On the Northern Alliance's vanguard side, after receiving news that the main force of the central army had successfully inflicted heavy losses on a large number of orc troops, Dick knew that his plan had worked.

Before this, what he feared most was that the orcs would not confront him directly. Given Ramon's cunning, he might actually choose to abandon the city and leave in order to preserve the orcs' strength. Therefore, at this time, Dick hoped that the orcs would muster their courage more than Ramon did.

Whether it was the cautious, huddled march along the coast or the deliberate creation of openings to separate the front and rear armies, he hoped that the orcs would not back down and would fight his army to the death!

His previously hidden trump card played a crucial role at a critical moment.

Two hundred Gatling rotary machine guns and eighty 75mm rapid-fire mountain guns, although only equivalent to the level of the early 19th century on Earth, were the highest technological products that the Lagug industrial system could produce. Using them to fight the orc army that had just entered the Iron Age was still a dimensional reduction attack.

Incidentally, the Imperial Arsenal in the capital was also capable of producing such items. In fact, due to the presence of more highly skilled workers, the craftsmanship of their products was even superior to that of the up-and-coming Lagug Industrial Zone. Unfortunately, the now-dead King Hessen VII was obsessed with cannons.

As a result of this preference, the empire's cannons were built larger and heavier, and even adorned with many useless decorations, all in order to display royal majesty during military parades.

In contrast, Dick favored the "mobility doctrine" and was willing to reduce the caliber of artillery to improve mobility, just to make the guns lighter.