Chapter 580: The Barbarian Pikes and Greatswords
In the Northern Region, the Blackrock Duchy.
Armored soldiers clad in black marched through the streets of the town, following the orders of the current nation’s ruler, forcibly recruiting men from all over.
“Please spare my child,” pleaded an old mother kneeling at the door. “He’s only sixteen.”
“Let go!” The captain, wielding a halberd, kicked open the hand that was holding onto him, ordering his subordinates to pull the woman away. Then, he shouted loudly to the surrounding houses.
“All able-bodied men have the duty to serve the nation. This is the time for a new empire to rise, and we will surely become part of its glory.”
As he spoke, a tall banner was raised. The white flag bore a deep blue seven-petaled rose, the symbol of the current Frost Union.
“Do not be intimidated by the current hardships. This is a moment of great honor, and you will surely be grateful for your choice in the future.”
“Thank me. It is I who give you this rare opportunity to become a glorious warrior, fight for this banner, rise above others, gain wealth, beauty, and all the splendor.”
Under his exaggerated and confident speech, a group of people actually began to be swayed.
In the Blackrock Duchy, the Pike faction had already taken control of most regions. After several failures, the Archer faction had lost hope among those who were previously neutral, making it seem like a good choice to align with them now.
In this nation surrounded by mountain ridges and lakes, fighting for money and power was not considered shameful. The Pike faction had merely exaggerated this aspect to a great extent.
A wooden door creaked open, and a slightly thin man emerged, trembling as he looked at the armed soldiers. He asked in a low voice:
“Is this all true? Can I also get endless wealth and beautiful women?”
His face was pale but flushed.
Seeing the man who had stepped forward first, the captain’s face broke into a wide smile. He walked up to him, clapping his back and saying:
“Yes, even more, you could marry four wives and carry chests full of gold coins.” He made a gesture as if he was holding something extremely precious.
“Then I’ll join.”
“Hahaha, yes, exactly.”
Here is the translated text:
—
“Congratulations on making a wise decision.”
As airships traveled north along the Sighing Mountains, they transported boxes of armor and weaponry, gold coins, and clothing to the Blackrock Duchy. With these supplies, the Halberd faction began a large-scale conscription and continuously swept through the remaining Hunterbow faction within their territory.
Finally, in November, they advanced southward, launching a surprise attack into Nide County, opening up a third battlefield. The intensity of the war between the two alliances escalated once more.
Dong—dong—
The urgent bells rang out across the towns of Nide County. With the outbreak of border warfare, the local reserves who were already training were urgently called up for service and began to gather and prepare for battle.
Between the mountain ridges and valleys, orderly formations of soldiers marched towards Iron Anvil City, the county seat. There were now ample weapons and armor available, perfect for arming the local troops.
Meanwhile, at the border, the fighting had already begun.
Woo—
The long, mournful sound of horns echoed. Soldiers holding ironwood shields raised their lances, forming a thick defensive line to block the advance of the enemy from the other side of the canyon.
On the Blackrock side, the armored leader waved his flag, arranging the halberd formations into position. The full-body silver armor reflected dazzling light under the sun.
“Attack!”
Under the command of the Halberd faction’s leader, soldiers holding high their halberds began to advance. The military formation of Clancia also stood ready, with soldiers gripping their shields and lances tightly as their breathing grew tense.
When the two sides were about fifty meters apart, the halberd wielders on the Blackrock side suddenly moved aside, revealing the队伍 behind them armed with dark muskets.
Rows of muskets were aimed at Clancia’s military formation. After a brief aim, a burst of short, intense flames erupted, followed by a continuous and dense series of gunshots. Bullets, propelled by gunpowder, rapidly flew through the air, shattering the thick shields.
Metal sheets flew up, splinters scattered, and bullets, carrying high temperatures, penetrated armor and entered bodies.
The garrison maintaining the lines suffered numerous casualties instantly. Seeing this situation, Clancia’s officer briefly pondered for a few seconds before immediately waving his flag to issue orders.
“Advance the entire army!”
Retreating was not an option; at such close range, retreating would only allow the enemy to pursue and cause a rout with heavy losses. While advancing would inevitably result in injuries and sacrifices, the enemy’s musket reloading speed was not fast. Taking advantage of this, they could close the distance and engage in close combat.
Fighting at close quarters was the only way to significantly offset their advantages and prevent the musketeers’ strengths from being fully utilized.
However, such an order could not be given by just any army. In the past, such a command would have only increased the fear and chaos among lower-ranking soldiers, like those under the former Westwind.
But in present-day Clancia, where revolutionary fervor had yet to wane, it was still a time of intense passion.
“Charge!”
Upon the commander’s order, the front troops raised their shields and ran swiftly forward, shouting battle cries that left the opposing soldiers stunned.
At this moment, however, the musketeers in the front row had already fired, and in the rush, hastily reloading was difficult. They were slower than usual.
Seeing this, the leader on the Blackrock side immediately shouted for the front-row musketeers to retreat and for the halberdiers behind them to engage the enemy.
Thus, the shields and halberds clashed instantly, followed by fierce and brutal close combat.
The lines continuously pushed and pulled. The Blackrock forces, supported by frost magic and high-quality weapons, faced Clancia’s forces, whose armor had greatly improved after two years of intensive steel production. Both sides were evenly matched in terms of equipment.
As the battle progressed, the superior military discipline of Clancia began to show. Under the effective adjustment and coordination of junior officers, numerous gaps opened up in the ranks. Blackrock was forced to send more rear troops to fill these gaps.
Just then, a man wielding a heavy longsword emerged from the Blackrock rear ranks. He was clad in black armor, exuding a chilling aura. As he moved through the ranks, a special resonance arose among the soldiers.
It seemed as if they suddenly gained courage and immense strength. The halberds descended with great force, piercing through steel armor and breaking bones, causing blood to spray and screams of agony.
“That is Tyomug, the first warrior under Lord Shute.”
Cheers erupted from the halberdiers, and the morale of these soldiers rose with the arrival of the heavy sword warrior.
Under the resonance of the War Sequence 7, Heavy Sword, Tyomug, the soldiers around him experienced significant increases in strength and courage.
His presence greatly compensated for the lack of willpower and poor coordination among Blackrock’s troops, gradually suppressing the well-trained Clancia garrison. The tide of the battle began to turn.
(End of Chapter)
