Chapter 981 - Unexpected Start (1/2)

Chapter 981: Unexpected Start

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

Morning Light climbed to the top of the slope and his heart raced as he watched the busy but well-organized battlefield in front of him.

This was not the first time he has been on the battlefield. At the age of 15, he was already an excellent knight squire, following the Lord during the charges. When he became an adult, he even won the reputation of the first knight of the Western Region.

He was no stranger to war.

However, the atmosphere here was completely different.

Before the battle, nobles would motivate, promise rewards, eat and drink in order to improve the army’s morale. That is why the freemen and mercenary camps would often immerse themselves with wild cheers, similar to an open market with the only difference being the absence of wine. At such occasions, knights would always laugh at their men for being so oblivious of a few breadcrumbs, not knowing they would have to sacrifice themselves for it.

At that time, Ferlin Eltek also believed that only nobles knew the art of war. Without a noble leading them, freemen would lack cohesion, just like scattered sand.

Only when Duke Ryan was defeated at Border Town by a bunch of miners did he realize that the reality was different from what he imagined.

However, since he was satisfied with achieving his revenge, he did not think about it further and instead devoted his energy to his wife Irene.

Two years later, thanks to his father, Morning Light joined the Adviser Department only to find out that the war has completely changed.

The First Army’s discipline during the last month’s march has already astonished him and yet, the professionalism they displayed right now would make most of the nobility feel ashamed.

Without any agitation, everyone was familiar with their tasks: at the bottom of the slope, several trenches had been excavated, while the excavated soil was put into sacks and piled up to form rows of simple walls in front of the machine gun area. In the middle of the trenches, there were wired iron nets and chevaux de frise which were assembled on spot. Achieving a frontal breakthrough would be almost as hard as breaching through a city wall.

Many cushion areas had also been set up behind the defensive line so that even if the machine guns were breached, they would not lose the battle. The Taquila witches could both protect the Artillery Battalion and provide support for the front line at any time as back up troops.

The slope that was the furthest behind was the core of the First Army’s attack— 6 Longsong Cannons, pointing straight at the demon’s outpost. The cannon soldiers were reviewing the shooting parameters, making the final preparations for the upcoming assault.

All of this did not need to be arranged by a commander but instead, in just one day, the First Army turned this area into an adequate battlefield.

Ferlin had seen the power of the new firearms during the cannon demonstration, but still, they were only machines—the operators of the weapons had to be humans.

Moreover, it was exactly those freemen soldiers who really surprised him.

A platoon with such strict discipline and clear division of labor was hard to be assembled even by the knightages of the great nobles.

Even though he had previously seen the change in the people of Neverwinter, that was still nothing compared to his shock right now.

“Do you understand now?” Suddenly, Morning Light heard a familiar voice behind him. “The answer to that question before.”

Ferlin turned around and nodded at Sir Eltek. “Yes. father.”

When His Majesty announced that he wanted to unify Graycastle within a month and attack Hermes and the Kingdom of Dawn simultaneously, the Adviser Department did not have any objections but Instead devised a number of seemingly incomprehensible plans.