In the night, 5,000 cavalry were climbing over the steep ridge of the "White Dragon Canyon", like a black giant python, silently meandering forward.
Yakov, the half-black dragon cloud giant, rode the cold tyrannosaurus to climb the mountain beam first, and the sporadic campfires immediately came into view.
"Haha, as Brother Yakov expected, those stupid Southerners chose to camp in the Sheltered Valley."
The half-black dragon jackal Yushchenko grinned, "Boss, give the order, lead the brothers to rush down and kill it."
Yakov was silent, his face became more and more ugly, and he suddenly opened his mouth and scolded Yushchenko, who was chattering in his ear: "Idiot, don't you have long eyes, those guys have already launched a battle formation, and they are clearly on guard" The half-dragon gnoll was stunned, and his eyes widened as he observed the Kolath Legion camp below.
Heavy wagons were set up in tandem to act as barricades against the charge, and the human knights, also dressed in black armor, mounted their horses and lined up on both flanks of the camp, their brushed spears glittering in the moonlight, like a forest of steel.
Under the protection of the cavalry on both flanks, the commander of the enemy army placed the dwarven heavy infantry in heavy armor, armed with tower shields and spears, in the front of the middle army, and in the back row were archers with longbows in their hands, while at the rear of the camp, a hillside had been leveled by sappers, and a hundred 3-inch magic crystal howitzers that had just been stripped of their armor were displayed on the high ground, and the artillerymen were correcting the shooting yuan with the assistance of the observers.
After three years of expansion, especially after the replenishment of heavy infantry from the Dwarves in Icewind Valley, the total strength of the Kolath Legion has exceeded 20,000, including a state-of-the-art artillery brigade.
In order to facilitate the march on the plateau, Rudolph left all the large-caliber siege guns and field guns that were difficult to disassemble in Icewind Dale, carrying only 100 lightweight 3-inch mountain howitzers.
In correspondence with his son, Rudolph also learned that the Warlock of the North Bay had invented a small rapid-fire cannon powered by magic crystals that could fire 1 pound of lead bullets continuously, which could be used both for positional defense and as an anti-aircraft weapon, and that he intended to use it as a support weapon for infantry squads.
On the hill opposite the White Dragon Gorge, Yakov couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat in the face of this well-trained and obviously well-prepared army.
"Big brother, don't hesitate, we can't retreat when we're here," Yushchenko roared unwillingly, "Although those southerners look quite majestic, they are a group of thin and timid humans after all, where will they be the opponents of our dragon-blood nobles, brothers rush down the mountain, and make sure to kill them."
At Yushchenko's urging and under the expectant gaze of all his subordinates, Yakov hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind, pulled out his giant sword from behind his back, and swung it forward.
Yushchenko was overjoyed, snatched the horn from the hand of the attendant, and personally sounded the trumpet of the charge.
The five thousand black orcs drew their swords in unison, and the heels of their spur-encrusted combat boots slammed hard, and the wolf under his crotch suddenly released his long-suppressed ferocity, howled and rushed down the hillside, like a rolling black torrent, and quickly swept towards the Kolas military camp.
Rudolph looked at the enemy lineup through a brass-shelled telescope and sneered at his opponent.
"This is a well-disciplined and tough force, but alas, their commander has just made a fatal mistake."
"The enemy is already in range and can open fire."
Mage Merlin doesn't need a telescope, and a simple prophecy spell can help him calculate the straight-line distance between friend and foe.
Rudolph nodded, and the herald beside him, who had been waiting for his instructions, immediately raised the red flag and waved it vigorously, skillfully playing a series of flags.
On the high ground behind the position, a hundred Demon Crystal Mountain Cannons were arranged vertically and horizontally to form a neat phalanx.
Not counting the maintenance and maintenance staff, each gun has six people on staff: gunner, assistant gunner, observer, alternate observer, loader, and gunner.
Among them, most of the cannon commanders are dwarves from Icewind Dale, and these bearded men have more experience in cannon fighting.
The commander of the artillery brigade, Yuri Popov, also had a beard that he considered full of manhood, and stood on the towering rock with his hands crossed on his waist in a steel helmet, the collar of his military uniform was open, his thick chest hair fluttering in the cold wind, and his eyes stared ahead, his eyes moving with the billowing smoke and dust that was rapidly approaching his camp.
Jack Duvalin, a young dwarf alchemist, left his hometown of Rabbit's Nest a year ago to join the Kolath Legion with a letter of recommendation written by Roland himself, took off his robe and changed into a military uniform, and was given a position where he could use his strengths to manage the cannons and improve the ammunition recipe for the legion.
Now that the time had finally come to test the results of his research in the field, Mr.
Jack was so excited that he was restless.
"Mr.
Popov, isn't it time for us to open fire?"
"Little man, what are you anxious about, forget what I told you before that the only iron rule on the battlefield is that all actions are under command, and General Rudolph can't fire a single shot without giving orders."
"But I think I can be a little more proactive when I need to."
Jack retorted quietly.
The old dwarf rolled his eyes at him: "You dwarfs, unorganized and undisciplined, will never become qualified soldiers" "That's what I said, don't make a big fuss, look at the flag" Lieutenant Colonel Yuri still used him to remind him that he had already seen the flag in front of him clearly, and after confirming the order, he also grabbed a red flag and waved it vigorously.
The artillery commanders on the high ground were all staring at Lieutenant Colonel Yuri, and when they saw this, they immediately conveyed the battle order to their respective squads.
The observer determined the elevation angle of the shot on the basis of the data that had already been determined, and the loader first loaded a "flare" into the chamber according to the command of the gunner.
When everything was ready, Lieutenant Colonel Yuri struggled forward to wave the command flag, his loud voice ringing in Jack's ears.
"Fire" Boom, boom, boom Hundreds of cannons on the high ground fired in unison, playing a generous and majestic movement, the electric light from the muzzle of the cannon illuminated the position, and the cannonballs whistled out of the barrels, dragging orange-red arcs in the night, falling towards the wolf cavalry line that was rapidly advancing 10,000 yards away.
Jack covered his ears and stared wide-eyed, staring at the enemy vanguard.
His eyesight was excellent, and the black orc's strong body, hideous face, and the bright sword in his hand could be seen clearly, and the sense of oppression that accompanied the charge of the thousand horsemen was substantial, making this young dwarf who had stepped on the battlefield for the first time couldn't help but panic in his heart, and his legs trembled
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