Offense is the best defense, this sentence is basically heard by a commander, but offense also represents a huge risk, especially in the case of a great increase in the combat power of the Ice Demon in winter, even a bigwig force of the level of the Holy See will not make such a move.

But Duke didn't have a choice, the hydro factory was on the opposite side of the monster valley, and in the summer there was a wide Seine River to resist, but once it was winter, the entire Seine River froze, and the hydro factory was almost unobstructed in front of the ice demon.

With this kind of wasted time, Duke can't afford to shut down an entire hydroelectric plant for the entire winter. If the defense is strengthened, it will also be very difficult to protect it with the protection capacity of the hydroelectric plant, and it will also drag down the large number of troops in Storm Castle at present.

Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the hydroelectric plant, and to give the scientific pioneers and skilled workers in the hydroelectric factory enough time to retreat, Duke had to change his strategy and press the entire Storm Army's defense forward.

At present, the entire Storm Fort, including the logistics army and the new regiment, has a total of 17,500 troops. The main battle legions were the Storm First Army with 4,500 men and the Dwarven First Army with 4,500 men, for a total of 9,000 men.

In terms of numbers, the number of soldiers has far exceeded the pre-war numbers, but in terms of strength and combat effectiveness, almost half of the Storm First Army is recruited, and the average training time of these recruits is less than two months. In just these two months, the average time has been extended by the previous logistics regiment and the new corps.

Therefore, the combat effectiveness of the First Army of the Storm is really in a worrying stage from Duke's eyes. But judging from the average level of the world pulling farmers into battle, the training time of the First Army of Storm is already quite good.

The First Dwarven Army has a strong fighting force, after all, they used to live in difficult areas such as the Saint-Michel Mountains, and faced all kinds of threats from humans and beasts, so they are very skilled in combat. However, the strong individual combat effectiveness does not mean that this dwarven first army is a qualified army.

Because they were all ordinary people before, and they were from different tribes. After all, the original Iron Hammer Dwarven Legion, which was a real clan guard and a professional soldier, had been disciplined.

But the previous patriarch guards, when they were excited to fight, they all charged indiscriminately, not to mention these new recruits now, there was almost no discipline at all. For such unorganized and undisciplined recruits, Duke dragged them into the barracks and subjected them to strict military law. But after all, the time is still short, and I don't know how their specific obedience is.

Relying on such a force, if he wants to counterattack the ice demon in winter, Duke is also very bottomless in his heart. So he called the two Storm Army commanders, Allen and Hammer, over in the hope of working out a specific attack plan with them.

"Alan, Hammer, I'm sure you know the current situation in Storm Castle, now that winter has completely arrived, and the Seine River has been frozen, there is no longer any obstacle for the Ice Demon to attack. If it were the same as before, they would all be crammed into Storm Castle and grit their teeth to survive this winter. ”

"But not anymore, our development outside the city is inseparable, and even in terms of importance, it has surpassed the castle of Stormcastle. We must protect the absolute interests in the territory of Stormkeep, so I plan to let the Storm Army press forward and give the Ice Demon enough deterrence that they will not dare to attack Stormcastle again this winter!"

"Forward, lord, you mean to attack?"

Alan asked in surprise.

"You can understand it this way, we are already unable to defend comprehensively, it is better to choose to attack to concentrate our superior forces, so as not to disperse the defense and be broken by the ice demons!"

"Just like this, I've been patient with those bitche-raised ice demons for a long time!"

The dwarven hammer slapped the table with excitement, and this sudden action startled Duke.

"What a reckless man. Duke muttered in his heart, the dwarves are not bad elsewhere, it is this kind of behavior that does things without going through the brain, no wonder they can only survive in the mountain nest.

Alan also glanced at the hammer helplessly, and then said to Duke: "Lord Lord, it is true that with the current situation in the territory of Storm Castle, if you want to divide your troops to defend everywhere, basically in the face of the superior strength of the Ice Demon, you will face the situation of attacking everywhere. So I agree with you, and it can also greatly improve the combat ability of the Storm New Army. ”

"However, it is conceivable that such an active attack will have huge casualties. And if you want to defeat the ice demon in the field, you can only rely on the advantage of the heavy infantry formation. ”

Allen's words made Duke nod, it seems that this group of reckless men are beginning to have a little sense of the art of war, and they don't shout like before, and then they wait for Duke with their eyes, waiting for him to come up with methods and tactics.

"That's right, if you want to defeat the Ice Demon in the field, you need absolute execution and discipline. The military has never been the most powerful group in individual force, but it has always been the pinnacle of collective force. Therefore, I hope that the Storm Army will be able to carry out the orders and prohibitions, and give full play to the battle formations they have trained before. ”

"Another point is that this time the Storm Army will have musketeers as long-range fire support. At the same time, you should also understand that the way the Storm Army fights will be completely changed in the future, and will cooperate with the musket team, and this attack on the Ice Demon can also be regarded as a rehearsal for future wars. ”

The reason why Duke decided to attack the Ice Demon this time was actually the musket team that had been trained for more than a month. Previously, Storm Castle only had a musket team of about 200 humans and dwarves, but after the previous defensive battle, the musket team has been expanded to a team of 500 people, and has changed the previous shooting method to a platoon of guns to shoot in a platoon, with more dense and powerful firepower!

This is where the advantage of the musketeers comes in, the cost of training is extremely low, and the speed of formation is very high. For more than a month, for other troops, they may still be in basic queue and discipline training, but the musketeer only needs three days at most to be able to shoot, and the rest of the time is a matter of proficiency and coordination.

As for the First World War, the musket was loaded with bayonets, and the old arms were completely eliminated. With the magic of this world and the combat effectiveness of other classes, at least it will not be possible until rifled guns and artillery appear. Therefore, Duke did not force the musketeer's cold weapon combat ability, as long as he could aim stably and shoot, it was enough!