Chapter 378: Slacking Off and Cheating?

"Gentlemen, ahead is our target for today!"

"And for today's battle, we must give our all, for if we delay too long and the beastfolk receive reinforcements, capturing this wooden fortress will become far more difficult!"

"Therefore, you forces from the Western, Eastern, and Southern Frontiers, lead your troops in the frontal assault!"

"I will lead two thousand legion soldiers to flank and distract on both sides!"

"Do any of you have objections to this arrangement?"

Commander Lei Meng did not delay, immediately beginning the battle deployment.

His arrangement was, in fact, fairly balanced.

Though the frontal assault would fall entirely to the nobles—undoubtedly the beastfolk's primary focus—

this was also the unspoken rule of past battles: vassals serve their lords; if you won't be the first to charge, what good are you?

"No objections, Commander Lei Meng!"

"Commander Lei Meng, we follow your orders!"

As expected, nobles from the Western and Eastern Frontiers quickly voiced their agreement.

Mil, now the representative of the Southern Frontier, was about to speak as well.

At that moment, Gervas suddenly jabbed him in the ribs and whispered something quickly behind Mil's back.

Mil froze, "Gervas, won't this be inappropriate?"

"No! Don't worry!" Gervas gave no explanation, yet his tone was firm.

Mil no longer hesitated. "Commander Lei Meng, I have an objection!"

Commander Lei Meng blinked in surprise.

The other nobles turned to look.

"Lord Mil, what is your objection?"

"Commander Lei Meng, I… we don't want to attack the front!" Mil felt a flush of shame, his face burning as he spoke.

"This…" The nobles exchanged glances, all bewildered.

Lei Meng frowned in confusion. "Lord Mil, then which side do you wish to attack?"

"I want to attack the right flank!"

The nobles erupted in murmurs.

Mainly because everyone knew the flanking assault was the lazy route.

Mil had actually volunteered for it—completely unlike his heroic image from just days ago!

Yet, given Mil's previous contributions, no one dared gossip.

Lei Meng was stunned, then turned his gaze to Gervas.

He saw Gervas give an almost imperceptible wink.

Commander Lei Meng finally nodded. "Lord Mil, given your Southern Frontier nobles' past merits, I grant your request—the right flank is yours!"

"My thousand legion soldiers will reinforce the front alongside the Western and Eastern nobles. Do any of you object?"

The nobles certainly objected.

But since it was Mil, all remained silent and shook their heads.

Lei Meng wasted no more time. "Then let the battle begin! Let us finish this swiftly!"

Whoop-whoop-whoop!

Amid the horn blasts, the noble forces split into three.

Roughly six thousand from the Eastern and Western Frontiers, plus seven or eight hundred Northern Legion soldiers, advanced toward the beastfolk's wooden fortress front.

One thousand Northern Legion soldiers headed for the left flank.

The remaining Southern Legion troops moved toward the right flank.

Amid shouts of battle, the frontal force launched its assault first.

As the vanguard, they had no heavy weapons—no trebuchets, no siege towers.

Instead, soldiers carried simple wooden ladders straight toward the fortress walls.

The only remotely effective siege weapon was a hastily assembled battering ram.

Four wheels mounted a freshly cut log, its tip sheathed in iron, covered above by a wooden roof and layered with water-soaked ox hides.

Pushed by soldiers, the ram quickly reached the fortress gate and began crashing against it—bang, bang, bang.

But behind the wooden door lay massive bolts and a row of support pillars; it would take time to make any impact.

Of course, the beastfolk had no better countermeasure either.

They could only loosely fire arrows or drop stones.

All were blocked by the wooden roof.

The two sides remained locked in stalemate—a pathetic squabble.

The real bloodshed came from the ant-climbing battles along the ladders.

The serf soldiers wore no armor; many didn't even have simple wooden shields.

During the climb, arrows, stones, and boiling pitch became deadly weapons.

Even if they somehow scaled the six-meter-high walls through sheer numbers, they faced the slave soldiers' varied weapons.

Screams and wails echoed constantly along the wooden walls.

Yet the watching nobles, far away, seemed accustomed to it—even Mil showed no change in expression.

Only Gervas was different.

Though he had fought in many battles, this was his first time witnessing such a large-scale ant-climbing war up close.

He finally understood what "cannon fodder" meant.

In open-field battles on the wilderness, front-line serfs still had a slim chance of survival.

But those ordered to lead the assault now? They were literal expendables—advance and die.

Yet they couldn't hold back, for the armored soldiers behind them also served as executioners.

Anyone who hesitated or retreated would be beaten, cursed, or killed on the spot.

So either way, they would die—but if they shrank back, their families received no compensation. Knowing this, they had no choice but to charge forward anyway.

"Kill!"

At that moment, shouts erupted from the left flank—the thousand Northern Legion soldiers joined the battle.

Their arrival eased some pressure on the front.

"Hey, look—what's going on with the Southern Legion on the right?"

"Yes, why did they split into two groups?"

Murmurs of surprise spread among the nobles.

The Southern force, supposedly attacking the right flank, had divided its three-thousand-strong unit.

One thousand continued advancing toward the walls; two thousand remained stationary, lounging calmly on the open ground beyond the right flank.

Earlier, when Mil had requested the right flank, the nobles had held their tongues.

But now, they could no longer contain themselves—whispers erupted everywhere.

Mil, seeing this, quickly glanced at Gervas.

This maneuver had nothing to do with him or the other Southern nobles.

Before the assault, they had handed command entirely to Gervas's knight captain.

So this division was entirely Gervas's doing.

Gervas offered no explanation yet, only gave Mil a reassuring glance.

Mil, seeing this, forced himself to stand still, pretending the murmurs around him didn't exist.

Commander Lei Meng kept watching Gervas. Seeing Gervas's calm expression, he chose to ignore the noise.

After all, he had noticed that all of Gervas's subordinates were among the two thousand who weren't attacking.

So Gervas's move must have purpose.

After all, Gervas was no coward who shirked duty.