Chapter 167: Quit While You're at It

Before the war started, Harland Territory had stored 500 alchemical bombs.

Some were consumed in the last battle, but the reserve is still sufficient.

This time, in order to defeat the orcs, Richard brought 200 alchemical bombs.

Half of them were in the hands of the Warcraft Cavalry Squadron, and the other half were in the hands of the First Squadron.

The First Squadron was the squadron with the most veterans in the territory, with many grenadiers.

The grenadiers had a strength of more than five points and could throw alchemical bombs sixty meters away.

Now the orcs just entered the grenadier's attack range.

Soldiers raised their arms and threw 100 alchemical bombs.

100 alchemical bombs fell from the sky, looking like a lump of iron.

This snake-bodied squadron had never seen alchemical bombs, and lacked experience, so they did not use shields to protect themselves in the first place.

The alchemical bombs were thrown next to the snake-bodied people, and suddenly exploded, blowing up billowing smoke and dust.

In this round of attack, the snake-bodied people were not prepared, and they suffered heavy casualties.

One hundred alchemical bombs killed more than twenty third-level snake-bodied people on the spot, and more than a dozen were injured.

Richard led the first squadron to reinforce the city wall, and turned the tide in a short time, killing more than fifty snake-bodied heavy infantrymen.

Relying on Richard's powerful spells, the first squadron's two killer weapons of alchemical bombs instantly caused heavy casualties to the snake-bodied people.

The snake-bodied heavy infantry was shrouded in smoke, and the formation immediately became chaotic.

The second and third squadrons followed closely and climbed up the city wall.

In these two squadrons, more than ten soldiers were equipped with enchanted crossbows. These sharpshooters in the army pulled the bowstrings and shot at the snake-bodied people.

At the same time, ordinary archers also released arrows, firing rounds of arrows to suppress the advance of the snake-bodied heavy infantry.

Seeing that the casualties were getting bigger and bigger, the defenders on the city wall were getting more and more.

The orcs suffered more and more casualties, especially the loss of snake-bodied professionals, which made Maruland feel heartbroken. He estimated the situation and felt that it was difficult to capture the castle, so he planned to retreat.

Maruland roared, bravely forced Sharp to retreat, and jumped off the wall swiftly.

The Pratos Castle was more than ten meters high, and the minotaur was unharmed after jumping down.

Richard saw the minotaur retreating, and immediately decided to fight a counterattack and defeat the opponent in one go.

He ordered the city gate to be opened, and the Warcraft cavalry swarmed out.

The cavalry slowed down, lined up in a dense formation and slowly moved forward, approaching the snake-bodied squadron, and threw the alchemical bombs in their hands.

Another hundred alchemical bombs were thrown into the snake-bodied army, killing and injuring twenty or thirty snake-bodied professionals.

Then Soros commanded the cavalry to bypass the snake-bodied people and attack the dog-headed squadron on the flank.

The snake-bodied heavy infantry is a professional army, and like the Warcraft cavalry, it is an important force in the orc army.

The casualties of attacking the snake-bodied heavy infantry must be considerable.

Soros was also an officer who had led troops for many years and would not make such a low-level mistake.

The Warcraft Cavalry swept past. They were well-equipped, powerful, and had more people than the Gnoll Squadron.

When the two sides fought, the Warcraft Cavalry rushed past and easily defeated the opponent.

The orcs were originally in retreat, and they could not resist the powerful Warcraft Cavalry.

In the time of an incense stick, four orc squadrons were defeated, and more than 400 soldiers were killed or injured.

The loss of the Harland Territory Cavalry was only more than 30 people, most of whom were auxiliary cavalry.

The Warcraft Cavalry was chasing in front, and Richard followed with the infantry of the Harland Territory. The Black River County Coalition was the third echelon.

The Pratos Castle was handed over to the two barons Sharp and Leon for garrison.

This pursuit battle was fought very smoothly. It was not until Maruland returned to the camp that he barely stabilized his position and blocked the counterattack.

The orcs had the advantage of the camp, and Richard was unwilling to fight a brutal siege with the orcs.

Even if he defeated the orcs, he would suffer heavy losses and it would be difficult to recover in a short time.

After a little weighing, Richard chose to quit while he was ahead.

After the war, Maruland counted the casualties and found that there were 1,400 casualties, and almost a whole group of orcs died outside the city of Pratos.

What made him most regretful was the casualties of the snake-bodied people, 39 of whom died in the battle and 56 were injured.

This siege failed, and the casualties of the snake-bodied heavy infantry exceeded half. Fortunately, most of the injured snake-bodied people were able to recover after being treated by the orc shaman.

The casualties of the orcs were not light, and the total casualties of the Pratos defenders were only 500, most of whom were soldiers under the command of the two barons Sharp and Leon.

Because the soldiers using the catapults performed very poorly, Richard immediately ordered the execution of several officers who commanded the catapults by military law after returning to the castle to kill the chicken and scare the monkey.

After the defeat, Maruland stayed in the camp temporarily.

Richard sent cavalry to attack the rear of Maruland's troops.

It was easy to defeat a squadron of grain transport teams and rescue a group of human slaves who were transporting supplies for the orcs.

These slaves were all prisoners captured by the main force of the orcs from the territory of Count Martins, and the total number of them exceeded 6,000.

Due to the unstable food supply, Maruland's camp only had less than a month's worth of food.

Although he wanted to retreat, Richard was unwilling to let him go and actually set up the camp two kilometers behind the orcs.

The soldiers under Richard's command totaled more than 3,000 people. These people were fresh troops who had just won a victory and were in high spirits.

The main force of the orc soldiers under Maruland is only 2,000 people, and the remaining 1,000 are all rubbish like sheep-headed people.

He is now barely relying on the fortifications of the camp to hold on, and he is no match for Richard in a field battle.

Seeing the situation deteriorating day by day, Maruland can only put his hope on Gunderson.

He sent the eagle-like man to send a letter to Gunderson, hoping that Gunderson would transfer troops to the north to attack the Harland territory.

Once the Harland territory is lost, the soldiers' relatives, wives and children will be captured by the orcs, and the morale of the army will inevitably be chaotic. The two orc armies can defeat Richard in one fell swoop and eat up the wealth accumulated in the Harland territory.

Unfortunately, Gunderson's troops were also pincered by Viscount Romen and the noble coalition of the Geda Province.

Gunderson received a strict order from the commander of the orc army, Derensi, to ensure the retreat of the main orc army.

If the noble coalition led by Viscount Romen is not dealt with, this task cannot be completed at all.

Gunderson's position and strength were both higher than Maruland's, so of course he would not accept Maruland's request to give up his combat mission and go north to deal with Richard.

Seeing that food was getting less and less, morale was getting lower and lower.

Maruland finally decided to fight a field battle with the army led by Richard. Only by defeating the opponent head-on, the orcs under Maruland's command might have a chance to survive.

At this point, Maruland could only make a desperate bet.