Forced to follow the First Army, Tang En realized he had underestimated the group's strength.
From engagement to defeat, the two sides hadn't even touched each other directly. Uncle Sang and the others simply kept firing at the Dawn troops, with no sky-covering rain of arrows, nor sweat and blood from close combat. On the battle line that stretched for over a mile, he couldn't see anything, yet the opposing ranks would occasionally fall in swathes, as if in coordination with their actions.
This made the war seem somewhat like a child's play, like a drama with only bluster.
However, the tearing screams coming from the side of the main road made it clear that it was just his illusion. The more relaxed the First Army appeared, the more it proved their strength.
He finally understood what Dingzi meant by the "First Army's combat style."
A team of hundreds of people acted like a single entity. Silent as ghosts when still, and equally silent when attacking, everything was carried out according to plan, their discipline was unprecedented. Compared to those formidable weapons, Tang En felt that the Northern Region garrison wasn't much inferior—taking advantage of the night to ambush before dawn; all five squads lined up, with no supervising team behind them; the eagle-faced commander didn't stay in the camp, but instead remained in the ambush circle closest to the Old Holy City; everyone was highly focused, with clear divisions of labor, and every order was executed quickly... If it weren't for these details, even with formidable weapons, they probably wouldn't have achieved such results.
After witnessing the entire battle, Tang En couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had chosen to leave Hermes in time.
If he had stayed in the Holy City, once these guys broke into the city, he, as a merchant, would probably have been treated as an aider of the enemy.
Well, he sighed inwardly, it's too dangerous outside. If he could return safely this time, he'd better stay in Eternal Night City and do business honestly.
Although there wasn't much money, it shouldn't be a problem to support his family.
And Fuer of the "Human Heaven," she must miss him very much, right?
He really hoped to get home soon, Tang En thought.
*******************
In the evening, Eagle Face walked into the temporary council tent, gave Edythe a military salute, and then handed over a booklet, "The battlefield has been preliminarily cleaned up. Here are the reports from each squad, which I have summarized."
"Thank you for your hard work," the Pearl of the North took the booklet and read it from beginning to end. It was expected that no one in the First Army was injured or killed. More than a thousand corpses were found on the Dawn side, and more than six hundred were injured, with an estimated direct reduction of about 20%. Not many were killed by bullets, most died in aerial bomb explosions and stampedes, and the continuous strafing only exacerbated the chaos.
This also matched the General Staff's deduction. After all, the Northern Region garrison had too few people, and the magic ark couldn't transport enough ammunition. Coupled with the lack of means to expand the results of the battle, it was predictable that most of the enemy would escape. As long as the task of driving away the Dawn army was accomplished, it would be considered a successful blocking battle.
Finally, there were more than eleven hundred people who surrendered after abandoning their weapons, twenty-five of whom were nobles, the highest-ranking being a count, who claimed to be the Lord of Hundred Flowers. However, what piqued Edythe's interest was another baron named Remin Payton. The report stated that amidst a chorus of promises to pay ransom and requests for proper treatment, he repeatedly emphasized that he was an old acquaintance of a Graycastle high official and had a friend relationship with the King of Graycastle.
"Did this person really say that?" She shook the booklet towards Eagle Face.
"He's probably just talking nonsense, or thinks the King of Graycastle is still Tiffy Coe Wimbledon." The deputy battalion commander frowned, "What do you plan to do with these surrendered nobles?"
"Redemption is impossible. Just throw them in jail and keep them for now," Edythe pondered for a moment, "They might be useful in the future. As for the non-nobles, just send them away. We don't have that much surplus food to give them."
"Yes."
"Didn't you find the whereabouts of Amperein Moya, the Lord of Dawn?"
"The body didn't have features that matched him," Eagle Face shook his head, "During the interrogation of the prisoners, someone seemed to have seen Amperein, but at that time he
and a group of knights seemed to have changed their clothes and weren't carrying flags or family crests. Others wanted to retreat with them, but were stopped by the knights. Since the distance was far and the scene was chaotic, that guy couldn't determine if the other person was Amperein."
"The location where they met?"
"Inside the Old Holy City."
"Then it's highly likely that it was him," Edythe shrugged, "To gather such a large team, the king's personal expedition is essential. If a country's ruler is in the army, where do you think he should be?"
"Uh... at the very front?" Eagle Face said uncertainly.
"Accurately speaking, it's after the vanguard." She explained, "The Old Holy City has no walls, and what you can grab depends entirely on how fast you are, so the king naturally has to come first in looting. The vanguard is generally handled by his Knights, which can eliminate threats in advance and ensure that they are the first to enter the city."
"So when the bomber action began, they were already in the city?"
"Yes, that's why Amperein escaped the air attack by Maisie and Hummingbird. And he had enough time to figure out the situation and choose the correct escape direction—that being said, being able to decide to put down the dignity of the king and disguise himself to escape in half an hour is also a qualified reaction." Edythe raised the corners of her mouth almost imperceptibly and gently licked her lips.
"Damn it! The biggest fish still got away!" Eagle Face said indignantly, "If I could have prepared a pursuit team in advance..."
"It's useless," she interrupted, "Such a wide plain, unless you can predict his escape route, you might be able to intercept him. The ambush on the main road was just exploiting the enemy's retreat habits and herd mentality—so when they fled to the wheat field on the other side, the killing effect of the firearms was greatly reduced."
"..." The deputy battalion commander didn't refute, but still looked very frustrated.
"You don't need to blame yourself either. You know, this may not be a bad thing." Edythe smiled.
"Why?" Eagle Face raised his head in surprise.
"This question is a bit complicated to explain. You just need to understand that fear is contagious. After those people realize how terrible it is to be enemies with Graycastle, will they still regard His Majesty's warning as nothing?" The Pearl of the North paused, "I'm afraid Amperein Moya's throne won't be easy to sit on."
Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it in detail, Eagle Face didn't ask further, "Then what should we do next? Occupy the Old Holy City directly?"
"Relying on these five hundred people? We can't even make a splash by stationing in the city." Edythe rejected without hesitation, "Wait a little longer. Maisie has already gone to pick up a key figure. If everything goes well, we may be able to take this place without lifting a finger."