Section IX Appointments

Gotrek 61 Star Crusher, Karaz, ruler of Karak and High King of the Dwarves, stands on top of his shield and looks out at the shooting range in the distance. Four of the most loyal personal guards carried shields on their shoulders, and his guards stood guard all around him.

Although the High King did not go to the battlefield this time, all the Hammer Warriors were still very serious in their battle formation, without any noise, and calmly with their monarch. The only difference is that they don't have the weapon in their hands at the moment.

Several figures appeared in the distance. The High King recognized it as Ashrufat, the great wine merchant and tycoon of Karak, and the new Grand Forge of the Society of Engineers.

Ashruphat came to the High King and bowed on one knee as in the traditional ceremony.

"Master Ashrufat," the High King was now wearing armor and a solemn expression, holding a huge sword in his hand. For the dwarves, while the battle axe and hammer are their favorites, the sword is also a common weapon. There aren't many dwarves who go into battle with swords in hand, but there are always mavericks who do, especially young ones.

"I see the fruits of your work. The High King looked at the sword, "From this weapon, I can see the hatred burning in your heart. I saw your courage and determination, and the unwavering will in your heart. I admit I underestimated you. What are you going to call this sword? ”

"Greenskin Calamity. Ashrufat replied. Actually, he wanted to say "Withered Sword", but he still thought it would be better to come up with another name.

"It's a good name, it's a good sword, I've only seen it in my life. "The High King looked at the sword once after turning it over and over again. The sword has some mysterious runic symbols painted on its body, and you can clearly see that there are subtle energies beating between these symbols. Even by dwarven standards, this sword is a peerless weapon. And such a sword, it was made by the young great forger in a matter of days, and it must have been Glengini, the god of dwarves, who infused his great divine power into the great forge. What other explanations can there be?

The High King raised his sword with one hand and slapped the blade of the sword on Ashrufat's shoulder.

"Eshurufat, I now appoint you as a general, and I entrust you with the task of defeating the Greenskins and recovering the peninsula!" he looked around Ashrufat, and it was obvious that because the news of the High King's arrival was sudden, Ashrufat was only followed by a few members of the Engineers' Guild. "I agree to your request to allow you to recruit volunteers in my army. In addition to this, I am also willing to share a part of the military expenses. ”

The High King paused, perhaps he felt that such support was not enough. "I'm willing to lend you my guards. They will protect you with everything they have, just as they protect me. ”

......

As all the inhabitants of Karaz-Karak expected. In the late autumn of that year, the High King appointed the young Grand Foundry Ashruphat as his general, and led 7,000 dwarven warriors on an expedition to reclaim the peninsula.

This level of strength is generally considered to be far from sufficient for this task. Because even ordinary dwarven civilians have a vague idea of the number of greenskins in the Western Peninsula. Because every few years, a huge army of greenskins swarms out of the peninsula and pounces on the land of the dwarves. From this point of view, it was an extremely brave and extremely stupid thing for this great foundry to dare to wage war with such a meager army. Many people have heard of Ashrufat's motives for leading his army, which is why it is commonly referred to as the "Avengers".

The Avengers under the command of Ashrufat are an expeditionary force like no other. This is not only in terms of numbers, but also in terms of composition. Unlike the average dwarven army, the Avengers are small in number, but they are very well equipped. The army had a large number of engineers, and more than two-thirds of the soldiers were musketeers or operators of war machines. This was because the expedition itself was launched by the Society of Engineers, who naturally threw everything into the war. In addition to Ashrufat, there were also six great founders who threw themselves into this war without hesitation, serving as lieutenant generals, staff members, and logistics officers.

Compared to the ranged units with a strong lineup, this army has a small number of melee units. However, with the help of the High King, Ashrufat managed to gather some elite warriors. Most of these soldiers survived the defeat of Karak-Grom. In addition, some butcher warriors heard the news of the expedition and spontaneously gathered under the banner of the Grand Foundry. Special mention goes to the Grand Foundry Naragrim. Blaming himself for failing to help Prince Hoga guard Karak-Grom, the great foundry went so far as to trim his hair and beard, dye them orange, and tattoo blue tattoos on various parts of his body to cover his dishonorable body, and joined the butchers.

The Grand Foundry, Ashrufat, chose a red dragon pattern as the banner of the Legion. This is a very uncommon pattern for dwarves. The more conservative dwarven generals will use their clan's banner. If the general has a casual personality, they will have a limited selection of patterns, usually hammers, anvils, kegs, beer glasses, and other dwarven motifs.

However, this is not surprising, as many dwarves know the inside story of this - the pattern actually belongs to the vampires of Sivania. In commemoration of the great damage done by the Great Foundry's brother, who was killed in the previous Battle of Karak-Grom, the Great Foundry uses this banner in turn as a reminder that he will never forget this hatred.

......

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!" someone shouted.

This warning is superfluous, though. A gap is automatically split in the crowd, allowing the helicopter to land smoothly. These dwarves have long known the capabilities of gyro helicopters - they are already members of the Society of Engineers, and they are all too familiar with this kind of thing.

The pilot got out of the helicopter and several hours of flying made him look a little tired.

"How?" someone asked. "Is there any trace of the greenskins found around here?"

"Nope. The driver replied. "I'm pretty sure there's no Operation Greenskins nearby. ”

This is not outrageous news, as this is the edge of the Dwarven Line of Actual Control. If it weren't for the ambition to do a big "Waaaagh", the greenskins wouldn't have approached the area easily. Because here you may be attacked mercilessly by the dwarves. The powerful firepower of the dwarves left a deep impression in Greenskin's heart.

"Very well, it looks like we're going to be able to build supply points in any way. The dwarf replied contentedly. On this expedition, the Engineers Association can be said to have taken out the capital of pressing the bottom of the box, so the Avengers Legion carried a large amount of equipment and supplies. These things are a reliable guarantee in battle, but also a great burden when marching. As a compromise, the Grand Foundry Ashrufat decided to build a supply base on the border to store surplus supplies and allow the army to move flexibly.

In his initial battle plan, they would follow the principle of step-by-step operation, sweep the green skins from area to area, and continue to build such supply points to steadily deliver supplies to the front line. This supply point would be the basis for the entire expedition, and therefore it was necessary to build a military fortress that would be easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of civil engineers in the Association of Engineers. The design was quickly completed, and it was Roin, the one who had previously failed in his bid with Ashrufat for the title of Grand Forge, and who had also answered the call of the Society of Engineers and joined the Avengers. However, although it is said that he did not receive the title of Great Foundry, it is generally not considered that he failed. Everyone thinks that his ability and talent are fully worthy of this title, but because there are no vacancies at the moment. In fact, if it weren't for Ashrufat's "Dragon Terminator" being so good, too creative and artistic, Roin would have been in that position.

However, through this competition, the uncrowned great foundry has been recognized as the best in civil engineering by the Institute of Engineers, and even the best engineer after Naragrim. Under his command, the civil engineering of the supply depot was built at a rapid pace and was impeccable in terms of appearance, defense, and storage capacity. According to the idea of a "new fortress defense system", this place will have a strong defense when completed, and through the use of various ingenious steam-powered machinery, they can easily repel the attacks of thousands of greenskins with only a hundred guards. At the same time, in order to reconnoiter the enemy's situation, a helicopter will be equipped here, as well as a repair workshop for repairing weapons and equipment.

The High King didn't have a lot of soldiers, but at least he could provide a lot of money and supplies. This, combined with Ashrufat's own generosity, allowed the Avengers to build to the highest standards and make extensive use of luxury equipment such as steam drills for quick excavation.

In the world of mankind, the use of the steam engine is only a rudimentary form. But in the realm of the dwarves, the steam engine has become very common. For example, helicopters or steam drill bits are excellent works of lightweight steam engines. Of course, to be honest, it's all thanks to the Society of Engineers.

According to the predetermined plan, the Grand Foundry Miklesko will be responsible for the defense and operation of this supply center. This is a heavy responsibility, which means that Miklesco has to be responsible for the safety of the entire transport route from Karaz-Karak to the supply center. He must also be responsible for supplying the center's own defenses to avoid being attacked by the greenskins. Because if this place is captured by the Greenskins, it means that the Avengers' battle is basically a failure.

So, although this is a logistical task, the responsibility is enormous. Miklesco was in charge of this work and would never be perceived as cowardly or "hiding behind" or anything. He will use extremely limited manpower to ensure the huge attrition of the front-line corps.

About consumption, almost no one will doubt it. Because the main combat power of the entire Avenger Legion is not infantry, but ranged units. The entire corps was armed with a large number of war machines and musketeers in far more than normal proportions. This means that the legion is an army that relies primarily on long-range firepower, rather than hand-to-hand combat. While many engineers are confident in their equipment and firepower, some veterans are worried. Because they know that once they are attacked by the Greenskins desperately attacking everything, the Avengers may not be able to resist it.

Of course, the general of the Legion, the Grand Foundry Ashrufat, is not in this range.

"Everyone. At the military meeting after the construction of the supply center, Ashrufat confidently introduced the tactics of his plan. "I named this tactic 'Death Trap'. ”