Chapter 15: Counteroffensive
The next day, the Imperial Army rode the rising sun into Oasis City.
Sarenwell stood in the command car, watching coldly as the bands of Imperial soldiers were engulfed in the cluttered city. It is like a bottomless swamp that cannot be filled no matter how many warriors are thrown.
The sound of fighting rang out from morning to noon, but the Blue Water Oasis showed no sign of falling, and the defenders showed no intention of escaping.
Imperial warriors roam every corner of Oasis City, battling elusive foes. In the face of such a chaotic situation, Sarenwell was already powerless to command, and could only hope in the quality of the soldiers themselves.
Seeing that the other party would no longer let the strong men come in and send them to death, Reilly let Gore move freely and completely unleashed the murderous blade. Gore laughed wildly and rushed out, bleeding everywhere he went, and no one could stop her casual blow. Seeing this demonic girl, even the warriors on Reilly's side were filled with fear, and the Imperial Army fled in despair.
Reilly still looked down on the battlefield like a god, treating the warriors on both sides as pawns on a chessboard. Under his command, bands of warriors converged like wolves, devouring the flesh and blood of their enemies. Due to the reduction in the number of participants in the battle, Reilly has gained greater strategic depth than yesterday, so the situation of the Imperial army is also more difficult than yesterday.
The city of Oasis was littered with ruins and fire, and several of its walls had collapsed. It stands to reason that the city has long since become an undefended open space, but in the sense of the Imperial warriors, it seems to be full of fortresses and trenches. Behind each broken wall, there is the potential for an unknown number of enemies to hide.
By nightfall, only a third of the Imperial soldiers who had entered the city in the morning had retreated.
Sarenwell's brow furrowed, looking at Oasis City in the distance. According to the battle reports compiled by his men, Sarenwell could tell that Richard's troops had lost more than half, but his own numerical advantage was getting smaller and smaller.
A swarm of buzzing dragonflies flew in the sky. Sarenwell knew that those damn bugs were the eyes and ears of the enemy. It is precisely because of their existence that this war is fought so passively. As a battle-hardened commander, he certainly knows the importance of information. If it weren't for the fact that his side still had the numerical advantage, Sarenwell really didn't want to fight any longer. What's more, if he misses this time, he may never find a chance to eliminate Richard again.
At this time, Richard and the others gathered together to listen to Reilly's tactics for tomorrow. In addition to their followers, there were many noble generals in the room, as well as the priests of the three goddesses. The room was filled with the smell of blood and sweat, and everyone looked tired, even the robes of the priests were stained with blood and mud, and they had lost their original beauty. But there is no despair and fear in people's eyes, only courage and confidence.
Reilly pointed to the map on the wall and said, "Tomorrow, I won't be able to surprise His Highness Sarenwell in the city." ”
Just as everyone was puzzled, he added, "Because I'm going to attack his headquarters!" The battle in the city is commanded by Richard, and your task is to hold back the enemies who have entered the city and prevent them from returning to rescue Sarenwell. ”
Richard nodded and said, "Don't worry, I won't let any enemy leave Oasis City!"
"So, how many people are you going to take with you?" Baron Fontaine frowned and said, "According to the usual practice, the other party should leave the most elite troops in the command to protect the commander-in-chief. If fewer people go, you may return in vain. If there are too many people to go, it will be difficult for our side to keep the enemy in the city. ”
"Except for the knights who belong directly to me, everyone will stay in the city. Reilly said lightly.
On the third day, Sarenwell threw all the forces at his disposal into the siege of the city, including even the cavalry who were not adapted to street fighting.
When Reilly rushed over with his Knights, Sarenwell had only a few hundred elite knights around him. And what they had to face were a full twenty Dawn Knights with combat strength close to level eighteen, and seven hundred puppet knights with an average strength of more than level ten!
After a charge, Sarenwell was once again a captive of Reilly, and all of his generals were killed, including the remaining four archmages.
"It's you!" said Sarenwell, who stared at Reilly for a long time.
"It's me. Reilly smiled and said, "Do you want to sit in Oasis City?"
On the fourth day, Sarenwell disappeared into the northern horizon with thousands of remnants of his defeated army. Reilly didn't have the idea of trading him for ransom, because that would be the equivalent of slapping the Iron Triangle Empire in the face. At the current stage, he does not want to attract the attention of that vast empire yet.
The Battle of the Blue Water Oasis had little impact on the Iron Triangle Empire. For Sarenwell, it was a heavy blow. After the battle, Richard's name gradually spread out of the Bloodstained Lands. Although the outside world did not know Reilly's role in this war, the nobles of the coalition did not dare to forget this god-like commander.
At the suggestion of Reilly, the Jinhui Battle Banner and other forces spread the processed battle process to the surrounding countries. So everyone knew that Sarenwell had been unable to attack the Blue Water Oasis for a long time, and finally withdrew his troops before reinforcements from all over the country arrived.
In fact, even many of the warriors who participated in the Battle of the Blue Water Oasis did not know that Sarenwell had been captured by Reilly, and those in the know had no intention of telling them.
After receiving the news, reinforcements from the Sequoia Kingdom withdrew one after another. However, the troops who were originally going to participate in the Fortune Avenue Project are still rushing to Oasis City. In addition, after hearing about the results of the Battle of the Blue Water Oasis, many nobles who had not planned to participate in the plan changed their minds. Although Richard did not arrange their place, these guys were ready to make a fait accompli. After all, they had come to Oasis City in the name of reinforcements, and it was impossible for Richard to drive these people back.
Seven days after the end of the Great War, the Redwood Kingdom's armies arrived in Oasis City one after another. The largest of these forces came from the Duke of Glasburg, an army of 3,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry, led by an old acquaintance of Reilly and Fontaine: the Count of Latour.
The second strongest force, to the surprise of the people, turned out to be the army of Countess Catherina. It was a force of 4,000 men, but it contained a full 500 hoplites. The servants of these knights were also elite cavalry, numbering as many as fifteen hundred. The average strength of these people was as high as level nine, which was no worse than the knights of the Duke of Grassburg, and the luxury of their equipment was even more than that.
Seeing this force, Reilly was speechless. In the Bloodstained Lands, Heavy Knights are not a very good choice. The Countess brought these guys more to show off her wealth and strength. And......
As soon as Reilly saw Viscount Chim's constipated face, he knew that the Countess was coming for him.
In addition, the Duke of Blue Wolf also sent a force of two thousand people, consisting of light cavalry and infantry, without heavy infantry and heavy knights, but well-trained and suitable for action in the bloodstained lands.
In the end, the other nobles also put together an army of more than 10,000 people.
At this time, Richard finally breathed a sigh of relief. As he inspected the ruined city, he once again felt the horror of Sarenwell and Reilly. If it were possible, Richard really didn't want to be an enemy of either of them.