Munitions Empire

"General, the 17th Legion is about to collapse! The enemy's weapons are incredibly powerful! They're much better than Shireck's previous muskets! If they're defeated, our frontline defense will be breached!" an orc general clad in shining armor with a light-colored cloak over it said.

Facing the attack from the Poplar Kingdom, the orc Gales Kingdom's military seemed to be even more passive than before. Four of their legions had already been completely defeated, and one of their main forces was teetering on the brink.

The leading orc general remained silent, waiting, waiting for definite news from the troops on his flanks. The counterattack had to be effective in one strike or, once the elf race stabilized their ranks, the enemy's even sharper firearms would come into play.

Soon after, a black warhorse galloped from a distance, and an officer in the same military armor reined in his horse, slowing to a stop in front of the central command tent.

"General Mack reports, the enemy's legions positioned at the forefront are moving towards our front-line legions, and their formation is now fully spread out!" the rider reported loudly as he halted his horse.

Many staff officers began to discuss, buzzing within the large tent, with occasional pointing at the huge map hanging up as they speculated on various potential combat scenarios of the enemy.

Behind the many generals at the central command, a young officer leaned back in his chair, toying with a blood-stained K1 Quick Gun in his hands, his fingers tracing over the dried blood on the rifle, looking quite serious.

Suddenly, this young orc raised his head, a pair of bright eyes shining on his not-so-pleasant face.

He wore nicer armor, but it didn't exude an ounce of martial aura; instead, he still looked somewhat out of place compared to a group of burly fellow generals. He was more like a scholar than a soldier.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince!" The lead general, who had not yet given an order, looked at the young orc and walked over with a frown, asking, "What do you think?"

Honestly, he didn't quite like this frail Crown Prince because he lacked the robust and martial quality of the orc race.

However, the current King had only this one son, so this scholarly-looking orc remained the future hope of the entire Gales Kingdom.

"Me? If I were in command of this battle, I'd order the troops on both flanks to stand by.

Once the enemy fully engages, then launch a simultaneous attack, sparing no cost to destroy the enemy's artillery following up!" The Crown Prince stood up, placing the K1 Quick Gun upright beside his chair, brushed off the nonexistent dust from his armor, and stepped up to the map, pointing to the sides as he spoke.

As he spoke, he stretched out his other hand and pressed it on the map: "Once successful, we must leverage our troop strength, which is twice that of the enemy, and obliterate the enemy with the simplest and most brute force approach, now that they have lost their cannons."

"By doing so, our elite 17th Legion is doomed! And it's not just the 17th Legion; even the other two legions on their flanks might suffer heavy losses..." the leading general asked with a furrowed brow.

"General Sir, conscripting tens of thousands of troops and charging into the battlefield is essentially sending them to their deaths. What we seek is victory alone! How we send them to their deaths does not reflect our compassion," said the Crown Prince calmly. "What we can do is trade their deaths for victory, not let them close their eyes in defeat."

The lead general was taken aback and then looked again at the Crown Prince he hadn't liked, seeing something different beneath the weak exterior.

Then, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he even reminded him, "Even though Your Highness speaks the truth, as Crown Prince, you must still maintain compassion..."

If it were before, he wouldn't have said such a thing. But today he did, and he spoke with sincerity.

"The fact is, General... we are too far behind. We have neither a decent military firearms industry nor a qualified intelligence agency... We know nothing about the new weapons," lamented the Crown Prince as he looked at the confiscated K1 Quick Gun beside the chair. "This is wrong, and it's why we have suffered heavy losses and paid the price with blood this time!

If we continue like this, we might soon face the end of our nation!"

Hearing the Crown Prince's rebuke, many generals hung their heads in shame. Frankly, their information was indeed too limited; they hadn't even heard about the new weapons equipped by the elf race.

Because the two kingdoms had long been in a state of war, the dispatch of spies between them was almost impossible.

After all, it was an embarrassing problem: they looked nothing like elves, so infiltration by spies was simply not feasible.

As long as the other side wasn't blind, they could easily distinguish an orc from an elf, and the opposing Poplar Kingdom had long been a "pure-blooded country" that extremely despised orcs.

The world has nations that are inclusive of various races, as well as those that adhere strictly to their own race. The Leite Kingdom does not discriminate against elves or dwarves and even allows exiles to reside, whereas Poplar Kingdom is the opposite; they interact mostly with humans, bearing ancestral grudges against the orc race.

Of course, not all elves despise the orc race; indeed, some elf kingdoms have good relations and trade with orc kingdoms.

But the exclusion of orcs by the Poplar Kingdom directly resulted in the orcs of the Gales Kingdom not having access to firsthand intelligence—they had to learn about changes in the Poplar Kingdom through other elf kingdoms.

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But such a roundabout way of intelligence gathering was clearly severely outdated, as the Orc Gales Kingdom could only obtain the movements and changes of the Elf Race from six months ago...

It was precisely because of this that the Poplar Kingdom took the initiative to strike first, using the new-style rifles secretly equipped half a year ago to surprise the orcs.

The leading orc general actually knew that they had already lost an edge in intelligence, and their tactical disadvantage was inevitable.

This directly led to a passive stance on the frontal battlefield, allowing those damned elves to advance relentlessly, cutting into his central battlefield.

It was clear that the orc side was actually powerless to stop the elf vanguard troops—if the elves had enough ammunition, defeating his forces was just a matter of time.

This outcome had nothing to do with the bravery of the orc race; bravery could only delay the collapse but could not change the outcome of the campaign.

Therefore, what could influence the outcome of this battle was only the decision-making judgment of the commanders superior to that of the enemy.

As the commander of the orc race, he had to make the right choice, using more lives to obtain that essential victory!

...

In the central command of the Elf Race, the neatly combed back hair of the old elf Earl Augustin Tural astride his steed, his face full of a contemptuous smile as he watched his troops organize the attack.

Clearly, the orc race had run out of tricks! Their positions were on the brink of collapse, their blood had already stained the earth red!

With 6,000 brand-new K1 Quick Guns on their side, the outcome of this war seemed to him to be already destined for the Elf Race.

The detestable orcs would lose the Sena Plains... and he, the most illustrious head of the Augustin Family in history, would become the first in his family to be granted the title of Marquis by the king.

He would become the new Prime Minister of the Poplar Kingdom. And under his guidance, His Majesty would hold twice his current territory!

In another year, the Poplar Kingdom would have the power to swallow up several small nations nearby, becoming one of the great powers among the elf kingdoms.

Even as his own troops once again shattered another square of the enemy, the distant and unfamiliar word "Empire" crossed his mind.

"Sir! On both flanks, the enemy's Wolf Riders have been moving frequently; should we..." a general rode up beside Tural, attempting to raise a concern.

Tural actually had his own calculations, so he interrupted the other party, "Once our forces break through the enemy's center, what kind of waves can their flanks stir up?"

He was not unaware of the danger on both flanks, but in fact, the Elf Race also had its own issues to contend with.

On one hand, they had initiated the attack and the stockpile of ammunition was not exactly abundant. The vanguard troops had consecutively broken through four orc military units, leading to significant consumption.

On the other hand, as he had said, their spearhead aimed at the orcs was on the verge of slicing through the orc's central defense line. Once he broke through the orcs in front of him, he could destroy the orc artillery positions behind them, and victory would be in hand.

Instead of halting their advance now and dispersing troops to search for the Wolf Riders whose location was unknown, it was more certain to crush the enemy forces directly in front of them and secure the victory.

Moreover, he was not completely neglectful of the safety of the flanks; at the start of the battle, he had deployed a very sturdy diamond formation.

Among the 11 legions of the Elf Race participating in this conflict, the 4 legions equipped with the new type of firearms were placed at the very front to maintain an attacking posture with their firepower advantage and spearheaded the entire Elf Race's offensive.

Two legions were deployed on each flank, whose task was to defend the sides and fend off any possible flanking maneuvers by the Orc Wolf Riders.

The remaining three legions were positioned at the rear, serving as the reserve force for the campaign. If any problems arose on any front, these troops could be deployed to provide support. In addition, this force was also tasked with escorting ammunition, transporting supplies, and securing the rear.

It could be said that such a formation was basically the safest.

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