[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence":3,"chapter-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-378":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Warlord: Starting with Daily Intelligence",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2338841,4572,"Chapter 378: Slacking Off and Cheating?","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-378",378,"\u003Cp>“Gentlemen, ahead is our target for today!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Therefore, you forces from the Western, Eastern, and Southern Frontiers, lead your troops in the frontal assault!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will lead two thousand legion soldiers to flank and distract on both sides!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do any of you have objections to this arrangement?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commander Lei Meng did not delay, immediately beginning the battle deployment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His arrangement was, in fact, fairly balanced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the frontal assault would fall entirely to the nobles—undoubtedly the beastfolk’s primary focus—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No objections, Commander Lei Meng!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander Lei Meng, we follow your orders!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, nobles from the Western and Eastern Frontiers quickly voiced their agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mil, now the representative of the Southern Frontier, was about to speak as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Gervas suddenly jabbed him in the ribs and whispered something quickly behind Mil’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mil froze, “Gervas, won’t this be inappropriate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! Don’t worry!” Gervas gave no explanation, yet his tone was firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mil no longer hesitated. “Commander Lei Meng, I have an objection!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commander Lei Meng blinked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other nobles turned to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Mil, what is your objection?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander Lei Meng, I… we don’t want to attack the front!” Mil felt a flush of shame, his face burning as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…” The nobles exchanged glances, all bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng frowned in confusion. “Lord Mil, then which side do you wish to attack?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to attack the right flank!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nobles erupted in murmurs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mainly because everyone knew the flanking assault was the lazy route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mil had actually volunteered for it—completely unlike his heroic image from just days ago!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, given Mil’s previous contributions, no one dared gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng was stunned, then turned his gaze to Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Gervas give an almost imperceptible wink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commander Lei Meng finally nodded. “Lord Mil, given your Southern Frontier nobles’ past merits, I grant your request—the right flank is yours!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My thousand legion soldiers will reinforce the front alongside the Western and Eastern nobles. Do any of you object?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nobles certainly objected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since it was Mil, all remained silent and shook their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Meng wasted no more time. “Then let the battle begin! Let us finish this swiftly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoop-whoop-whoop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the horn blasts, the noble forces split into three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thousand Northern Legion soldiers headed for the left flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining Southern Legion troops moved toward the right flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid shouts of battle, the frontal force launched its assault first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the vanguard, they had no heavy weapons—no trebuchets, no siege towers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, soldiers carried simple wooden ladders straight toward the fortress walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only remotely effective siege weapon was a hastily assembled battering ram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pushed by soldiers, the ram quickly reached the fortress gate and began crashing against it—bang, bang, bang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But behind the wooden door lay massive bolts and a row of support pillars; it would take time to make any impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the beastfolk had no better countermeasure either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could only loosely fire arrows or drop stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were blocked by the wooden roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sides remained locked in stalemate—a pathetic squabble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real bloodshed came from the ant-climbing battles along the ladders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The serf soldiers wore no armor; many didn’t even have simple wooden shields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the climb, arrows, stones, and boiling pitch became deadly weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they somehow scaled the six-meter-high walls through sheer numbers, they faced the slave soldiers’ varied weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screams and wails echoed constantly along the wooden walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the watching nobles, far away, seemed accustomed to it—even Mil showed no change in expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Gervas was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had fought in many battles, this was his first time witnessing such a large-scale ant-climbing war up close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally understood what “cannon fodder” meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In open-field battles on the wilderness, front-line serfs still had a slim chance of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those ordered to lead the assault now? They were literal expendables—advance and die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet they couldn’t hold back, for the armored soldiers behind them also served as executioners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who hesitated or retreated would be beaten, cursed, or killed on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, shouts erupted from the left flank—the thousand Northern Legion soldiers joined the battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their arrival eased some pressure on the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, look—what’s going on with the Southern Legion on the right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, why did they split into two groups?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murmurs of surprise spread among the nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Southern force, supposedly attacking the right flank, had divided its three-thousand-strong unit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thousand continued advancing toward the walls; two thousand remained stationary, lounging calmly on the open ground beyond the right flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when Mil had requested the right flank, the nobles had held their tongues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, they could no longer contain themselves—whispers erupted everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mil, seeing this, quickly glanced at Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This maneuver had nothing to do with him or the other Southern nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the assault, they had handed command entirely to Gervas’s knight captain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this division was entirely Gervas’s doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas offered no explanation yet, only gave Mil a reassuring glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mil, seeing this, forced himself to stand still, pretending the murmurs around him didn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commander Lei Meng kept watching Gervas. Seeing Gervas’s calm expression, he chose to ignore the noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he had noticed that all of Gervas’s subordinates were among the two thousand who weren’t attacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Gervas’s move must have purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Gervas was no coward who shirked duty.\u003C\u002Fp>",1033,"2026-06-20T22:44:02.338Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a1158530f9dd8e4e1d09f9981def14d4da0dbd0911d29ea9e3ba2621a591c9d0","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-379","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-377",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]