Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

Chapter 617: Chapter 617: The Attack Came Earlier

Just after finishing breakfast, without any warning, the Lu Hua Army urgently assembled its troops, as news of what had happened in the Luo Ze Empire had already reached his ears.

This was an unprecedented opportunity.

Especially for the East Second Army, who had witnessed the towering walls that the Luo Ze Empire was constructing suddenly crack open with a huge fissure, they decided to launch an attack ahead of schedule.

Having entered December, winter was already cold enough, and the Luo Ze Empire soldiers who were not used to the severe cold had already donned wool coats, greatly reducing their overall mobility.

In the past, scaling or destroying walls often required a great deal of manpower, but that no longer seemed necessary this time.

As for the collapse of the Luo Ze Empire’s wall, whether it was due to shoddy construction or sabotage, it didn’t really matter.

Due to tactical changes in the battle to retake territory, the original plans of the West Fifth Army, where Yang Yu was, were also disrupted.

As a centurion, Yang Yu was also aware of the operation plans of the West Fifth Army.

The Lu Hua Army dispatched troops to attack the Long Boots Region, first recapturing some of the easier small areas to take back, setting up temporary strongholds, and then attempting exploratory attacks on several important areas occupied by the Luo Ze Empire to determine the basic defensive preparedness of each city, while also conducting a certain degree of harassment.

It sounded simple, but in practice, it was fraught with difficulty.

One misstep and what was meant to be a probing attack to understand the enemy could turn into an outright sacrifice.

After gathering some intelligence, the troops that attacked first would then hand over the real offensive task to the Lu Hua Army General and other generals.

Additionally, dispatching a Vice General for reconnaissance type attacks was also a way to give the new soldiers time to get accustomed to army life.

According to observations by the Lu Hua Army, just spending one month in the army under appropriate pressure, the casualty rate of new soldiers in a winter offensive could plummet from fifty to sixty percent to thirty percent, and if the new soldiers could spend more than three months, their losses could be further reduced, keeping casualties within twenty percent.

Unfortunately, the situation on the battlefield changes in a blink of an eye, and plans often can’t keep up with these changes.

In actual combat, there isn’t so much time to allow new soldiers to adapt.

And now that was exactly the case.

Whether in resisting pressure or coordinating in combat, the new recruits were not quite up to par yet, but there was no time left for them to continue adapting.

The Lu Hua Army took the smoking pipe from their lips, pinched out the burning tobacco with their fingers, and looked out over the gathering troops from the city gate.

Only after the Yajiangs had reported the status of their respective troops did the Lu Hua Army step forward to give a speech.

The details of the military operation had already been discussed overnight with other generals and dozens of Yajiangs.

The West Fifth Army, including the newly reinforced soldiers, totaled around one hundred and ten thousand men. This time, they would divide into three armies and attack the Long Boots Region from three different directions, striking at the weak points of the Luo Ze Empire’s defenses.

For each position they planned to attack, they had already sent out scouts in advance for reconnaissance.

If any military movements occurred at the lightly guarded city strongholds they encountered on the way, they would be able to detect it immediately and switch targets.

The West Fifth Army’s operation plan was simple: first take down small cities to isolate the heavily defended large cities, leaving them without support, and then slowly start to break them down.

Such a battle plan, of course, had its downsides.

To put it plainly, if they took on too much, swallowing more tough-to-digest fortresses than they could handle, they could end up overwhelmed.

During the winter offensives of the past few years, such scenarios had occurred from time to time.

But, for now, this was the tactic with the highest success rate in the winter offensive.

After all, on the plains, it was very difficult to make use of the terrain or various resources for any purpose.

The Luo Ze Empire was acutely aware of this fact; key plain cities were heavily guarded and amply stocked with resources, enough to sustain the Luo Ze Empire’s spring and summer offensives.

Taking those cities would consume a great deal of time and one careless move could drag the war into the winter, which was advantageous for the Beastmen.

Therefore, many cities were initially excluded from the list of must-capture targets, even if they were strategic locations.

Of course, if the opportunity arose, the West Fifth Army would still prioritize capturing those cities to reduce the stakes on the battlefield and ensure a stable advance without concerns from behind.

In the recollection of the Lu Hua Army, the West Fifth Army only once managed a complete recovery of the Long Boots Region and breached into the Feng Mang Region.

That time seemed to involve some internal issues within the Luo Ze Empire, and Emperor Wan Zhangshi personally supervised the battle.

Without these two factors, to be honest, the Lu Hua Army had no idea what the outcome of this year’s campaign would be.

Things were getting worse domestically; the opportunity to recapture the plains was dwindling—every usage one less than before, and what was even scarier, they did not know exactly how many chances were left, perhaps, this might even be the only one remaining.

The Lu Hua Army, standing atop the city gates and rallying the troops, gave a speech while also observing the army.

Through daily interactions, almost all the soldiers felt the significance of this war, and the oppressive atmosphere within the West Fifth Army was much heavier than during any previous winter offensives.

Now, the Lu Hua Army did not expect anyone to perform exceptionally; they only hoped they would perform normally and not too many would die—that would be enough.

“When it comes to it, the most pressure-laden new soldier squads are where those with potential often emerge.

Sadly, it seems there’s no longer an opportunity for these recruits to grow.”

Without any show of emotion on his face, the Lu Hua Army concluded the speech, and then officers of all levels relayed their tasks to their subordinates, fell into formation, and prepared to set off.

Yang Yu’s panel displayed a new task:

[War Task

Faction: Wansheng Country

Task Requirements: Cooperate to capture Golden Tangerine City in area 213.

Rewards: Experience????, Gold Coin????, Lottery Chances???, Favor and Trust from certain individuals (based on your and your unit’s contributions)]

Although not specified in the task, favor and trust from certain individuals were undoubtedly key to helping complete the promotion tasks; important figures would definitely not truly entrust their troops to someone untrustworthy.

After closing the panel and receiving the orders from his superiors, Yang Yu adjusted his troops and, along with the main force, marched toward the front lines.

Meanwhile, on the same day, on the eastern frontline of the battle for recapture, the Second Front Army had already assembled. In front of them lay a cold river with countless thin ice floes, as well as the wide-open, broken city walls.

A young man with lion’s ears was riding atop a massive bear-shaped demon, situated in the midst of the troops, staring at the city walls, which for some unknown reason had suddenly collapsed, creating a gigantic breach, and the civilian workers and Luo Ze Empire Magicians who were busily repairing it.

The General leading the Second Front Army gave out the final combat reminders, but the lion-eared young man didn’t manage to take in much.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to cross the river at the first chance, break into the Feng Mang Region, and end this war.

Then, with his deeds as a bargaining chip, he would plead with the Monarch of Wansheng Country to disregard the outdated rules of his family and grant him marriage.

After the pep talk concluded, the Generals leading the East Second Army issued the command, and the whole army launched an attack towards the recently emerged breach, making the first move in the offensive.