Chapter 617.5: Stealth Invasion? Who Wouldn't Know!
Leon observed their preparations, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness, and spoke without hesitation:
"Use explosive shells to clear out these disgusting pests."
The long-awaited artillerymen quickly replaced the shells with the new ammunition.
When these shells spiraled outwards.
Unlike the original shells, which relied on weight and speed for impact damage, these ones delivered a different kind of devastation.
The spinning shells would, upon nearing the enemy within 3-4 meters.
Be activated by a small detection spell, igniting the magical gunpowder inside the bomb.
Boom!
A burst of violent fire suddenly spread, the terrifying impact instantly clearing out a large number of charging Wokou pirates.
The shrapnel, infused with explosive force, was equally deadly, easily slicing through the fragile bodies of the Wokou pirates.
Just one shell killed thirty or forty Wokou pirates!
One explosion after another, the flames greedily devoured the lives of the Wokou pirates.
Lacking sufficient defensive power, the Wokou pirates could only wail helplessly and run frantically in the face of such apocalyptic destruction.
But their attacks were in vain!
They paid a huge price, finally reaching the bunkers and fortresses under a barrage of cannon fire and crossbow bolts.
Only to helplessly discover that their siege equipment had been set ablaze or destroyed by exploding shells.
They turned into piles of blackened, smoking debris, inflicting a devastating psychological blow on the attacking Wokou pirates.
Watching those raging flames, the expressionless Kaledor naturally wanted to find out.
Just how much damage these new weapons prepared by the Bay Territory could inflict, what their strengths and weaknesses were.
These things required more 'contributions' from the Wokou pirates to provide Kaledor with more data and information.
After all, the Wokou pirates had more than enough numbers; even if these hundreds of thousands died, it wouldn't affect his ability to gather more from other regions.
Thanks to the cooperation of the Wokou pirates, the defending soldiers of the Bay Territory matured at an astonishing speed.
At the very least, in the face of the Wokou pirates' not-so-threatening attacks, they could now quickly retaliate and clear the field.
It was precisely this step-by-step maturity that allowed the fortresses and cities in the fishing island area to remain in a defensive posture.
Compared to the cannon fire on the sea.
The troll hunters in the Dark Forest remained silent and cautious.
They had lived in this jungle for generations,
Not only were they very familiar with the terrain, but they also possessed exceptional jungle combat skills.
No matter who the enemy was, they were never a match for them.
They were symbols of pride and the elites among the Rotten Moss Troll Clan warriors.
They cautiously approached a fortress made of piled stones.
The fortress was not tall, only about seven or eight meters high.
The experienced troll hunters could easily climb up.
This greatly boosted their morale; they couldn't wait to rush up and engage in a bloody slaughter.
At that moment, the Bay Territory soldiers, who had been waiting in formation, appeared on the fortress walls.
Facing the charging troll elites, they pulled the triggers without hesitation.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Armor-piercing arrows laced with a new paralyzing toxin easily swept down the troll elites.
The frenzied troll elites roared and charged forward with bloodshot eyes.
The soldiers and adventurers stationed in the Dark Forest were often more skilled than typical recruits.
Especially during defensive battles, they used various ammunition reserves and well-stocked ranged weapons to continuously inflict damage on the charging trolls.
When the number of trolls was too great, or the offensive was too fierce, threatening to break the walls.
A large amount of fire oil would make its appearance.
The blazing flames transformed into a deadly and dangerous wall of fire, separating the troll army from the fortress strongholds.
Some trolls did try to pass through the fire wall, attempting to reach the castle or stronghold directly.
But after paying a huge price, when they finally reached the fiercely contested battlefield.
All they saw were vast expanses of blackened, charred remains.
The wounded trolls that had fallen earlier had silently disappeared.
Scarlet Fortress!
Deep and thunderous rumbling, like rolling thunder, swiftly spread throughout the entire orc army.
The already spirited orc warriors, with the assistance of newly recruited mechanical goblins, decisively launched an attack on Scarlet Fortress.
The newly established Scarlet Fortress, although not as tall and grand as before, was still incredibly sturdy.
Warriors from the Third and Eighth Legions were fiercely battling the attacking orcs.
Carlos watched the seasoned veterans stabilize the front lines, lead the fight against the orcs, and swiftly coordinate adjustments for ranged covering fire.
With the help of these veterans, the initially tense new recruits immediately joined the frenzied slaughter without hesitation.
This time, the orc army numbered a staggering 500,000.
Even discounting the slaves and sacrificial 'fodder,' they put immense pressure on Scarlet Fortress.
Fortunately, considering the orcs' formidable strength and shocking numbers, Scarlet Castle's defensive focus was primarily on the siege machinery they brought along.
One fireball after another flew out.
Although some of the siege machines were scorched black on the surface, these specially reinforced behemoths continued to advance slowly toward the walls of Scarlet Castle.
Carlos, his face turning grim, decisively took out a secret weapon: the magic cannons acquired from Bay Territory.
Although they had spent over 3 million gold coins to purchase the magic cannons.
When they saw the spiraling shells destroy the incredibly sturdy siege engines, the orc offensive immediately stalled.
The commanders of Scarlet Castle quickly realized that this investment was absolutely worth it.
Moreover, Bay Territory's support didn't stop there.
A group of battle-hardened adventurers had already arrived at the battlefield through the teleportation array of the Scarlet Pass.
They proactively attacked the sentries of the orc army, drawing the attention of a significant number of wolf riders.
Clearly, this batch of wolf riders had not learned from their previous experiences and were easily lured into the traps.
When the orc wolf riders chased into the trap, the power of the magical explosives instantly consumed hundreds of their lives.
The remaining orc wolf riders fell into a state of disbelief, panic, and fear.
The crossbow-wielding adventurers happily performed a sweeping barrage.
When the orc wolf riders lost all fighting spirit and began to scatter and flee.
The hidden adventurers finally struck, launching a fatal hunt.
With full preparation, the well-organized adventurer teams could devour a patrol of over 200 members in just half an hour.
At first, the losses caused by the adventurers were not substantial; they focused mainly on clearing out the orc sentries and wolf riders.
For the orc army, which lacked strong command capabilities, the loss of seven or eight hundred or even over a thousand soldiers a day went largely unnoticed.
The reason was simple: in the brutal siege battles for Scarlet Fortress.
Tens of thousands of orc soldiers died every day, overshadowing the loss of those relatively insignificant sentries.
The adventurers had prepared various tricks for the orc army.
Including but not limited to setting ambushes, creating traps, hunting sentries, and fatigue tactics.
The more active they were, the less pressure the 100,000-strong defenders of Scarlet Fortress faced.
Unlike the Scarlet Fortress, which entered a white-hot phase of battle from the start.
The zombie monsters from the southern kingdoms, as they moved northward, had swelled to over three million in number.
Most of the territories in the southwestern part of the Eastern Province had already been overtaken by the zombie monsters.
Fortunately, this time, the lords and nobles of these territories received early warnings over a month in advance.
They were granted permission by the Eastern Province Council to begin urgent evacuation and migration plans.
Faced with the enormous costs of these plans, many lords and nobles decisively sold off their subjects.
Who did they sell them to?
Naturally, to Bay Territory!
Bay Territory provided these lords and nobles with a substantial sum of money and resources, and made them a promise.
After solving the zombie crisis.
Bay Territory promised to help these lords and nobles reclaim their territories and rebuild their castles or cities.
Hmm!
That's right!
Bay Territory is the legendary 'Great Good Samaritan.'
Not only could it allow the lords and nobles to rise again.
It also allowed the people, who were otherwise difficult to migrate and relocate quickly, to enter the safety of Bay Territory.
This migration and transportation were not like the small-scale refugee transfers.
Each territory had at least a population of over 100,000 or 200,000.
Except for a small number of nobles and personal guards who chose to leave with the lords, the majority were 'swallowed' by Bay Territory.
At first, many of the people were reluctant to leave their homeland.
They bluntly stated that even if the zombie monsters came, they wouldn't be able to break through their cities or villages.
Faced with such stubborn individuals, Bay Territory had many methods.
Whether it was publicly broadcasting magical video records of zombie monsters destroying large cities.
Or releasing captured zombie monsters to fight the strongest and most confident warriors among them.
Soon, these people quickly changed their minds and chose to cooperate with Bay Territory.
Bay Territory did not concern itself with the petty thoughts of some of them.
Once these people entered Bay Territory, the well-established refugee processing program easily subdued them.
Of course, these new residents of Bay Territory found it hard to enjoy the many benefits that the original residents had.
Some troublemakers would jump out at the right time, loudly expressing their dissatisfaction.
For these 'chickens' that cooperated so well, Bay Territory's blade would usually be very swift.
To buy time for the transfer and migration of these people.
Bay Territory dispatched 70,000 elite troops.
Along the way, they created various obstacles and traps.
Further delaying the advance of the zombie army.
This army was powerful, luxuriously equipped, and had astonishing combat strength.
They would actively raid smaller zombie units, forcing larger zombie groups to cluster together, slowing their advance.
While delaying the zombies' progress.
Bay Territory's army inflicted heavy damage while reducing the number of zombie monsters as much as possible.
At the same time, they burned the corpses of the zombies to prevent their numbers from increasing.
Seeing this, the Cole Elves finally made their judgment.
All the elite forces capable of fighting in Bay Territory had already been dispatched.
Now, Bay Territory's internal defenses were extremely empty!
It was the perfect time to launch an attack!
Sensing the opportunity, the Cole Elves.
Showcased their terrifying foundation!
They ordered the trolls!
The Rotten Moss Clan, which had never broken through Bay Territory's strongholds and camp defenses, suddenly received a large supply of materials and weapons.
At astonishing speed, they uprooted multiple Bay Territory outposts in the Dark Forest.
Moreover, they marched forward with over 150,000 elite troll warriors, heading straight for Bay City.
According to some of the soldiers who returned via teleportation, powerful enemies were hidden among the attacking troll army.
It was precisely these individuals who led the charge, breaking through the stronghold, camp, and fortress defenses, allowing the subsequent trolls to rush in.
This left the Bay Territory soldiers unable to defend, forcing them to retreat through emergency teleportation.
Even so, over 1,000 soldiers and adventurers perished in this sudden assault.
Upon receiving this news, Matthew had already guessed that the Cole Elves had finally made their move.
Their blatant act of 'home invasion' led Matthew to decide to 'repay in kind.'
The Cole Elves loved home invasions so much!
Coincidentally, Matthew was also quite skilled at it!
A large group of powerful Gray Elf modified warriors silently followed the Gray Dwarf troops into the Cantrell Mountains, deep in the Cole Elves' territory.
In just three days, they built six strongholds and fortresses in easily defensible locations.
Half of them were personally guarded by Bay Territory soldiers!
The reason the Gray Dwarves were willing to cooperate with Bay Territory.
Was because of Bay Territory's strength!
Bay Territory's production capabilities were incredibly strong.
It could provide the Gray Dwarves with excavation golems and construction golems.
It also helped them quickly restore the operation of their entire city and society.
Additionally, the Second Prince, Kreiser, had learned that Bay Territory had even defeated the Cole Elven Kingdom.
This was undoubtedly fantastic news for the Gray Dwarves.
It was this change in mindset that led them to cooperate with Bay Territory to jointly develop the Cantrell Mountains.
Now, in the face of the Cole Elves' attack.
The Ashen, who had long been unable to hold back, under the leadership of the Gray Elf modified warriors, launched an assault on the Cole Elves' strongholds and cities.
Right in the Cantrell Mountains!