Chapter 364: Should We Flee First?!

"Commander Ryan, wait for me!"

Just as Commander Ryan hurriedly donned his leather armor, preparing to lead his men to reinforce the perimeter,

Solite arrived in a panic.

This Solite wore only a silk undergarment, not even having time to properly put on his outer robe.

"Commander Ryan, what is happening? What exactly occurred? Why do I hear the sounds of battle cries?"

"It is the orcs; they have attacked us!"

"O... orcs? How is this possible? Captain Ryan, how could orcs appear here?" Solite's face showed a look of terror.

Commander Ryan frowned slightly; he knew this Solite had been sent by the Wangdou Sect to gild his credentials.

But he never expected him to be so incompetent.

His terrified appearance would easily affect the morale of the army.

"I am not clear on exactly how the orcs appeared, but Deputy Commander Solite, please calm down to avoid affecting morale!"

Solite's face immediately flushed red. "Y-yes... yes, Commander Ryan!"

Hearing this, Ryan's expression finally softened slightly. "Deputy Commander Solite, I am now taking men to reinforce the perimeter. You may choose to stay here, or you may go with me!"

"I... I think I will stay here! If Commander Ryan needs anything later, you can notify me then!"

Ryan nodded and said no more, immediately leading his men toward the perimeter.

On the way, he happened to meet Captain Lide, who had just arrived in haste, and immediately asked for the situation.

"Commander Ryan, at least a thousand orcs suddenly appeared in the Emerald Valley; over nine hundred are attacking us, while the remaining hundred-plus have headed toward the mountain hollow, presumably to attack Viscount Gervas and his group!"

"A thousand orcs? How did they reach this Emerald Valley?" Ryan and the nobles behind him changed color; this was not a small group of orcs.

Because the orcs' combat power was extremely strong, even a thousand orcs constituted a massive threat.

"Commander Ryan, it is not yet clear, but I am certain they arrived at the Emerald Valley before us; otherwise, there is no way they could have evaded our entire day of scout patrols!"

Ryan nodded, and while the two were speaking, they had already reached the camp fence.

At this moment, the orcs were already assaulting the fence, having erected simple wooden ladders to begin climbing over.

Although guards were attempting to block them, since it was not a high wall offering a height advantage, the guards' ability to hinder the orcs was negligible.

They could only watch helplessly as the orcs climbed over the wall, and only then could they rush forward to fight them.

At first, because the number of orcs rushing into the camp was not large, the guards could fight the orcs on equal terms.

But as more and more orcs breached the fence, the guards could no longer hold them back and were cut down, fleeing in panic with their heads in their hands.

"Quick, block these orcs! Do not let them rush into the inner camp!"

Ryan dared not be negligent; fearing the guards' rout would spread, he immediately ordered the noble contingent and the Kingdom Guards to step forward and assist.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

"You two-legged sheep, you have come at just the right time! We shall use your fresh blood to baptize our orcish warriors! Haha!"

But upon seeing these guards, the horde of orcs seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, becoming even more excited.

This instantly suppressed the morale of the guards and serf soldiers who had originally come to reinforce.

Although their numbers exceeded the orcs by three or four times, they now hesitated, daring not to advance.

"You bastards! Whoever dares to show cowardice, I will chop him down right now! Charge forward for me and block these orcs!"

Ryan was nearly angered to death by these guards and serf soldiers; he could only draw the longsword at his waist and scold the assembled soldiers.

Other minor nobles and guard captains also angrily scolded and suppressed them.

Under the threat of military law punishment, the serf soldiers and guards finally gritted their teeth and charged toward the orcs.

The two sides soon collided.

In an instant, screams and wails filled the air.

And the orcs, true to their ferocious nature, relied on their strong, tall physiques; the massive Shi Fu and massive spiked clubs in their hands became life-reaping machines.

Every swing represented a guard or serf soldier bursting into a spray of blood, turning into minced meat.

Of course, the guards and serf soldiers could also inflict casualties on the orcs, but because the orcs had thick skin and flesh, it often required several chops to truly eliminate one orc.

"Damn it!"

Seeing this scene, the nobles' faces turned green.

The vast majority of them were participating in the Northern Campaign for the first time.

After all, if they had any background or connections, they would not have been assigned to the vanguard camp.

Only newly ennobled nobles or minor nobles with no one behind them to support them would take on this arduous task.

Thus, although they had heard in the past that orcs were ferocious and difficult to deal with,

exactly how difficult they were, they only truly understood at this very moment.

At least two well-trained, fully equipped guards were needed to deal with one orc.

And if it were serf soldiers, it would even require five or six to offset one.

Therefore, this could not be considered a battle; it could only be considered a war of attrition.

Using human lives to exhaust these orcs.

Only Commander Ryan remained calm.

As an officer originally from the Northern Legion, he had long been clear on the orcs' combat power.

Therefore, as long as he ensured the orcs could not rush into the camp's interior, causing massive chaos and casualties, that would be sufficient.

"What is happening? Gervas, why do we hear the sounds of battle cries?"

While the main camp began to fight a bloody battle, thanks to its remote location, Gervas and his group had not yet been attacked.

Of course, the earth-shaking battle cries from that side had already reached the mountain hollow.

Mil, Ian, and the others rushed out of the tent in haste, adjusting their silk robes as they anxiously asked Gervas.

"It's orcs! The orcs are attacking the main camp!"

"O-Orcs? H-How is that possible? Didn't Captain Lide say the orcs were still hundreds of li away?"

Mil and the others instantly turned pale; their expressions, though not as exaggerated as that fellow Solit's, still bore signs of nervous unease.

"They must have snuck over stealthily; there seem to be around a thousand of them!"

"The battle has already started over there. By the way, more than a hundred orcs are heading our way!"

"Heading our way? Gervas, what should we do now? Should we retreat first?"

"Yes! Gervas, let's pull back a bit. With the main camp tying them down, those orcs shouldn't focus on us!"

What a guy! Gervas exclaimed, "What a guy!"

These people, upon hearing the name "orcs," were already preparing to flee at the first sign of wind.

Of course, Gervas also understood that the orcs' reputation was simply too great.

Besides, Solit had specifically targeted them today, leaving the group with little sympathy for the main camp.

Some, thinking darkly, were even secretly pleased; after all, that fellow had assigned them to this location.

However, Gervas certainly would not allow everyone to run.

Leaving aside the fact that fleeing would surely lead to punishment afterward,

simply put, Gervas had come this time specifically to earn merit.

Therefore, this battle must not only be fought, but fought brilliantly!