Chapter 37: The Power of the Magic Crystal Cannons
"Oh, you disagree?" Linley looked at Watts with some confusion.
He thought this suggestion was quite reasonable. Taking advantage of the enemy's chaotic formation to launch a surprise attack could indeed deal a heavy blow to the Radiant Church and the Dark Church.
Watts replied respectfully, "Lord Linley, I disagree with this suggestion for three main reasons."
Three reasons?
Linley had to admit he was no expert on the various aspects of warfare. He listened carefully to Watts's response.
"First, the chances of successfully executing this plan are not high. From Code City to the Flowing River is several dozen miles. If we send troops over, by the time they reach the enemy, the forces that have crossed the river will likely number over a million. And some of those troops will have already reorganized."
Barker shook his head and said, "Getting over a million men into formation and ready for battle at any moment is no easy task."
Watts nodded. "Indeed. I'm just saying the enemy should have some troops prepared for combat. We have a total of 500,000 men. How many can we send for a sneak attack? That's the first point. The second point... I believe the commanders of the Radiant Church and the Dark Church would not make such a low-level mistake."
"If I were the enemy commander," Watts said with a faint smile, "the first thing I would do is send elite troops across first, making the crossing forces appear 'chaotic' to lure the enemy into attacking. When the enemy actually attacks, the elite troops would immediately strike back hard."
"Remember, our greatest advantage is this fortified city!" Watts said seriously. "With this city, for every one of our men they kill, we can probably kill three of theirs. They want to lure us into fighting on the plains."
Linley nodded in agreement.
Watts continued, "As for the third reason, in war, tactics are secondary, but strategy comes first. Our goal is to keep the enemy outside our defenses and prevent them from breaching the city. That's the top priority. If we succeed in that, we win this war."
"So we don't need to pay attention to the 'weaknesses' they show. Who knows if they're deliberately faking them?"
Watts smiled faintly. "We just need to stay in Code City, rely on the city's defenses, and hold our ground. Barring any surprises, victory will be ours."
...
A night passed, and the sky was just beginning to lighten.
The Black-Robed Archbishop Visport, riding a Dark Demon Tiger, gazed into the distance toward Code City.
"Gilmore, I have a feeling this war is going to be very tough for us," Visport said with a frown. "I've deliberately slowed down our river crossing, and the troops on the other side looked 'chaotic,' but Code City acted as if they didn't notice. They didn't send anyone to attack."
Gilmore nodded.
They had prepared a big feast, waiting for the enemy to come. Unfortunately, it failed.
Now the entire army had crossed the river and rested for a full night. They were now advancing steadily toward Code City. The Dark Church and the Radiant Church had each gathered 800,000 troops. Together, that was 1.6 million soldiers. Such a terrifying army covered the land, stretching endlessly into the distance.
"I'm not afraid of Linley's commander being clever or cunning," Visport said. "What I fear is him hiding in that city like a turtle."
Gilmore nodded as well.
Relying on the city's defenses, even if they could breach Code City, their losses would be enormous. Although they had 1.6 million troops, they didn't want to waste so many lives.
"Visport," Gilmore asked, "what should we do?"
The commanders of this campaign were naturally Gilmore and Visport. But when it came to strategy, Gilmore was weaker than Visport. Visport smiled faintly and said, "There's no other way. For now, let's go probe their defenses."
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
******
The entire Code City had become a massive military fortress. All residents had long been evacuated. Many houses had been converted into barracks, tunnels, and traps. The southern and eastern city walls were packed with soldiers, while the western and northern walls had far fewer troops.
Various equipment was being transported to the city towers.
Linley and Barker, both wearing armor and posing as officers, walked along the southern city wall. The wall was bustling with activity, stretching for dozens of miles and packed with over 100,000 soldiers.
"So many people," Linley and Barker said, looking into the distance.
Like a dense swarm of locusts, the 1.6 million troops of the Radiant Church and the Dark Church covered the earth, steadily advancing toward Code City. 1.6 million! It sounded easy to say, but when that many people formed an army and marched...
It was terrifying!
Even Linley felt the heavy pressure.
"This war... I wonder how many will die," Barker muttered with a sigh.
Linley looked at the densely packed soldiers on the wall and felt the cruelty of war. But since human society began, war had never stopped. Although Linley and the others could see the armies of the Radiant Church and the Dark Church, they were still far away.
But the army was so massive that even from a distance, the soldiers on the wall could see them.
"Let's go to Watts. He's the commander, and we can't let anything happen to him," Linley said, leading Barker to the tower above the southern gate. Watts was in an inconspicuous small corner room near the tower.
When Watts saw Linley and Barker arrive, he immediately bowed.
"Watts, Lord Linley and I are here to ensure your safety," Barker said with a smile.
Even the composed Watts looked a little excited. Linley smiled and said, "Alright, focus on preparing for the enemy. Do you have any plans to deal with this army of over a million?" Linley himself felt a bit lost.
Watts smiled and said, "No rush. Whatever tactics they use, we'll counter them accordingly."
"When do you think they'll attack?" Barker asked.
Watts replied with a faint smile, "They just crossed the river. Instead of marching immediately, they rested and only started moving at dawn. They should reach the city walls in about an hour. The first wave of attacks should come before noon."
"The first wave probably won't be too strong, mostly probing. How do you plan to handle it?" Barker asked.
"Magic Crystal Cannons," Watts replied.
"Right off the bat with Magic Crystal Cannons?" Barker frowned. These cannons were a trump card, best used at critical moments. Watts nodded firmly and said, "General, rest assured. Just watch and enjoy. You'll understand soon enough."
"Still keeping me in suspense?" Barker said with a shake of his head and a laugh.
Linley sat down quietly on the side, leaving the war matters to the experts. After a long while... Linley suddenly opened his eyes and said to Watts, "Get ready. The Radiant Church and the Dark Church have sent out two advance teams to attack."
Watts looked at Linley in surprise.
Linley didn't explain further. Although he hadn't used his soul power to scan, with his understanding of the laws of wind elements, he could clearly sense what was happening several thousand meters away if he focused.
"Sir, the enemy has sent two divisions, each with 20,000 men, directly toward our gate," an officer reported, rushing in.
Although the city wall stretched for dozens of miles, the main focus of any siege was usually the gate area.
Watts glanced at Linley with admiration, then immediately gave the order: "Follow the plan. Prepare the ten Magic Crystal Cannons. Let's give our guests a 'welcome gift,'" Watts said with a faint smile. The officer's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes, sir!"
"Let's go take a look," Linley said, standing up.
On the city wall, Linley and Barker looked down. Two divisions of troops were charging forward. Compared to 1.6 million men, 40,000 didn't seem like much. But when those 40,000 charged, it still felt like a sea of people.
"Kill!"
The tens of thousands below raised their shields and weapons, charging toward the gate. Their battle cries thundered like rolling thunder. Some soldiers carried massive scaling ladders, worried about arrows raining down from the walls.
But to their surprise, no arrows came.
"Fire!" a furious shout rang out.
The magical runes on the ten Magic Crystal Cannons lit up almost simultaneously. Terrible elemental energy gathered, and then the cannons roared. Ten beams of light struck the enemy formation almost in succession.
"Magic Crystal Cannons!" terrified screams erupted.
One fiery red orb landed, instantly incinerating several soldiers where it struck. When it hit the ground, it expanded into a ring of fire, spreading outward like ripples on water. Any soldier touched by the ring screamed in agony as they were burned alive.
Fire Magic — Blazing Fire Ring!
With just one shot, over a hundred men died.
Another orb, pale blue-white, landed. The soldiers it covered were instantly frozen and then shattered into pieces. The orb then exploded violently, turning into hundreds of sharp arrows that shot in all directions. "Shriek!" Many soldiers were pierced through. The area around that blast was filled with screams.
Water Magic — Raging Sea Arrow Rain!
...
Different types of Magic Crystal Cannons, using different elemental crystals, produced different effects. But without a doubt, the first volley from these ten cannons killed over a thousand men. Even more were wounded.
But then, the cannons lit up again.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...
Almost simultaneously, the ten Magic Crystal Cannons fired again. Soldiers were burned to death, pierced by ice arrows, corroded, or electrocuted... The ten cannons targeted the two divisions, and for those troops, it was doomsday.
...
Visport and Gilmore were together.
"Sir," an officer reported respectfully, "the first wave attacking the southern gate has retreated. The division attacking the eastern gate has also pulled back. We've confirmed that the southern wall has ten Magic Crystal Cannons, while the eastern wall has five. These are large Magic Crystal Cannons, with magical power close to eighth-rank magic."
Gilmore snorted coldly. "What I feared most was them having Magic Crystal Cannons. And now they do! All large ones too. Who sold them to them?"
Visport smiled faintly. "That's not our concern right now. Since the eastern wall only has five cannons, here's the plan... Tomorrow, we launch our first full-scale assault."
"Full-scale assault?" Gilmore looked at Visport.
Visport nodded. "Yes. On the surface, we'll focus our attack on the southern gate. At the same time, we'll send a smaller force to attack the eastern gate. But that smaller force must be our elite troops," Visport said firmly.
"Visport, you mean..." Gilmore looked at him. "Focus on the eastern gate?"
The ratio of troops didn't determine which side was stronger. Sending two elite divisions of 100,000 men could be more devastating than 400,000 regular troops.
"Reality and illusion. We'll deceive our opponent," Visport said confidently. "If 100,000 elite troops launch a fierce assault and the eastern wall isn't well-prepared, we might be able to break through in one go."
Gilmore smiled. "If I were the enemy commander, seeing over a million troops outside the southern gate and only 100,000 attacking the eastern gate, I'd probably focus my attention on the southern gate too."