323: Chapter 15, Augustusburg_1 323: Chapter 15, Augustusburg_1 The summer dusk descended, the afterglow of the setting sun illuminating the blood-red earth, and the resonant sound of a horn denoted a pause in the ongoing battle.
In the midst of the horn sounding a retreat, the already chaotic Orc Army became even more disordered.
Orc soldiers from different species and tribes began fiercely fighting over the remaining wealth, weapons, and even the corpses of their comrades left on the battlefield.
If the defensive forces chose to attack at this moment, they could surely achieve remarkable results.
Unfortunately, the afraid soldiers in the castle had become skittish.
The preceding significant defeat had stripped everyone of their confidence to engage in field battles.
Now, they were simply hoping to survive their service period and return home.
This demoralized army could endure until now due to factors like castle defense, but the most important reason was that they had no way to retreat.
Two-legged beings cannot outrun four-legged creatures; without the protection of the castle walls, the infantry could not escape the pursuit of the Orc Cavalry.
An army frightened out of their wits would not dare to take the initiative to attack, even if an opportunity truly presented itself, they could only watch helplessly from within the castle.
“Supervisory team, go and separate these rabble!”
Crown Prince Alex commanded angrily.
This was his first time leading an army after becoming the Crown Prince, and he was leading the formidable Bimon Army Corps.
Unfortunately, their performance was barely satisfactory.
In the previous battles, Alex led the Bimon Army and directly defeated the Nobles’ Allied Forces of Fengyun Province.
Due to minor command errors, the Nobles’ Allied Forces managed to slip into the castle.
The Bimon Army Corps, normally invincible in field battles, found themselves powerless against the Purple Gold Pass which wasn’t their forte.
Sieges are exchanges of lives.
Crown Prince Alex was reluctant to exhaust his elite Bimon Army Corps against the Human Army.
As per tradition, battles that required a large number of casualties were left to the vassal races to fight.
Contrary to the Bimon Army Corps that enjoyed priority in logistical supply, the vassal race’s supplies were barely sufficient.
To survive on the battlefield, the corpses of their comrades were often their best source of food.
Even if some more picky ones didn’t want to eat their own kind, they could always trade bodies with other races.
If there was not enough food to go around due to prolonged warfare, it was common for the weaker races to bear the brunt of the Orc tribe’s needs.
For the Orc tribes participating in the war, their enemies were not only humans but also different orc tribes.
They had to stay vigilant at all times, lest they become a roasted dish on someone else’s table when they woke up.
If one got separated, they had to run immediately.
In the absence of danger, allies can be the greatest threat.
“Discipline” was too much of a luxury for the famished orc soldiers.
Commanding a chaotic unit to lay siege was bound to be difficult.
Not being able to take over the Purple Gold Pass was putting pressure on Prince Alex.
All the plans and manipulations he had been plotting in the Imperial Court were abruptly sent to the front lines through the order of the Bimon Emperor before he could execute them.
Deep down, Alex was wondering if his father had sensed something and took swift action to disrupt his layout.
Facilitating a palace coup remotely and successfully achieving the uprising within the royal court was virtually impossible.
In reality, even if all preparations were in place according to plan, Alex’s chances of seizing power successfully were not higher than one-third.
While the odds may seem slim, it’s a fairly high rate of success in the face of a power struggle.
No matter how well things are prepared, there’s never a 100% success rate.
Often, as long as there’s a glimmer of hope, they’ll take their chances.
Now all efforts turned out to be futile.
Without his direct oversight, no one knows who would take over, even if the coup was successful.
There were no few capable ones within the Bimon Royal Court who would be eligible to vie for the throne.
Alex was unwilling to risk his life to help others achieve their ambitions.
“Your Highness, the defending army in the city is like a bird terrified by a bow and arrow; no matter how we lure them, they wouldn’t dare to come out.
The nearby castles are linked like horns of a bull; without taking down the Purple Gold Pass first, other castles would be hard to conquer.
The blitz in the past few days has resulted in significant losses among the tribes.
If we continue with the strong attack, I fear that soldiers’ morale will be unstable.
Why not halt the attack first and look for a breakthrough elsewhere?”
Legion Commander Augustine advised.
He had never had any faith in this hedonistic prince.
Alex’s performance on the front lines greatly exceeded his previous expectations.
It was precisely because of this that Augustine was even more concerned.
A debauchee limited in damage potential, but a capable prince could cause disruptive problems.
Fortunately, Alex was not young.
If he were, anyone who dared to doubt his military command skills would certainly be punished.
Time is the best weapon; the edges of Alex had long been smoothed out.
After years spent in indulgence, he was able to objectively view his own shortcomings.
“General Augustine, what do you suggest?”
Above him was his father keen to see his early demise, and beneath him were his nephews and grandchildren vying for his position.
For Alex, whose claim to the Crown Prince was not stable, winning the war was of utmost importance.
“Your Highness, the frontline defense of the Alpha Kingdom is too tight.
Even if we break through the Purple Gold Pass line, we can’t go much further before encountering a new defensive line.