Chapter 398

Wuuu wuuu wuuu!

The kingdom's army also sounded their horns again.

But this time, it was the Northern Legion and the Great Noble Legion that advanced.

"Look over there—why is even the Northern Legion moving out?"

"Yes! They used to wait until the critical moment before committing!"

"I get it—look, they're heading straight for the Stone Bridge!"

"Huh, true—but there are two thousand beasts guarding that bridge! Charging now will cost us dearly!"

"There's no choice—look at the forces on the other side. Without support, they'll be crushed by the beasts!"

The minor nobles immediately noticed the movements of the Northern Legion and the Great Noble Legion.

After a brief moment of shock, they all understood why the Northern Legion and Great Noble Legion had advanced so early.

But the beasts on the opposite bank had clearly anticipated this—and had kept two thousand of their own stationed at the bridgehead all along.

Soon, fierce combat erupted, the cries of battle drowning out those from other sectors.

Though the Northern Legion and Great Noble Legion had deployed twenty thousand troops altogether,

the Stone Bridge restricted their formation, rendering their numerical advantage useless.

Of course, both legions also sent out elite units to risk crossing the river and attack from the flanks.

But the beasts had already prepared—two hundred meters on either side of the bridge, trenches had been dug and wooden palisades erected.

Thus, when these elites reached the far shore, they too became locked in brutal combat.

Even the beast servants and wolf riders occasionally launched flanking strikes against them.

Though the elite soldiers wore armor, they were still at a severe disadvantage against wolf riders—and the crossing troops suffered heavier losses than those on the bridge itself.

When slave soldiers died, the great nobles didn't care.

But sending elite guards to die as cannon fodder? That stung the nobles deeply.

"Commander-in-Chief, this won't work! Even our elite soldiers in armor can't stand against wolf riders—we'll be slaughtered!"

"Exactly! Commander-in-Chief, these elites aren't slave soldiers—they're our key to defeating the beasts later! Letting wolf riders pick them off like this is a waste!"

"Gentlemen, I know the losses are unacceptable—but if we rely only on the bridge, we won't break through in time. We can't afford to wait. If the minor nobles' forces collapse, we lose this battle!" The legion commander sighed helplessly.

He too grieved for his elite subordinates.

But he had no other option.

The Stone Bridge offered little space; to quickly overwhelm two thousand beasts from the bridge alone was nearly impossible.

Thus, flanking attacks via river crossings were unavoidable.

"Commander-in-Chief, why not send in the third wave of minor nobles? That would distract the wolf riders and servants—they won't have time to target our elite troops!" Crackstone Marquis suddenly spoke up.

Everyone froze, then fell silent.

Of course, they all knew Crackstone Marquis's proposal made sense.

Sending the third wave over would bring the total slave force to eighty thousand.

The wolf riders and servants would then feel renewed pressure and stop focusing on the legion troops.

But this move meant trading the lives of minor nobles for the safety of their own men.

So no one dared be the first to endorse it.

"Gentlemen, no time for hesitation—do you want to watch your elite soldiers die?" Crackstone Marquis didn't care.

Hearing this, the other nobles finally broke their silence: "True! Slave soldiers are expendable! Even if they preserve strength now, we'll still need our elite legions to win against the beasts later!"

"I support Crackstone Marquis's proposal!"

"Me too. Letting minor nobles suffer losses now ensures we can drive the beasts out of the kingdom later!"

"Commander-in-Chief, give the order!"

Facing the nobles' demands, the legion commander held back his reply and turned to the silent Hernald Marquis.

"Commander-in-Chief, while Crackstone Marquis's plan is feasible, it will anger the minor nobles! Right now, we're deliberately sacrificing them to reduce our own losses—it's unjust!"

"Of course, everyone has spoken, so clearly none of you care—but I must warn you: this plan carries risk. If the third wave crosses the river but the bridge still isn't broken through—"

"We'll face even greater losses!" Clearly, Hernald Marquis opposed shifting the burden onto the minor nobles.

After all, the minor nobles had already sacrificed too much.

But Hernald Marquis's compassion drew little sympathy.

No sooner had he finished than Crackstone Marquis laughed and retorted: "Hernald Marquis, there's no justice here. Was it fair to make minor nobles cross first and attack?"

"As for risk—losing sixty thousand or ninety thousand? It's the same!"

Hernald Marquis said nothing, nodded, and replied: "Crackstone Marquis is right. I was being hypocritical. If so, I have no objection."

Seeing this, the commander-in-chief no longer hesitated: "Then send out the third wave of nobles!"

Wuuu wuuu wuuu!

Soon, Gervas and the other third-wave nobles heard the horns.

"Huh? What's going on? They're ordering us to attack too?"

"Yes! With the situation on the other side, sending us over just means giving the wolf riders a few more heads!"

"True! Even the elite legion guards can't hold against wolf riders—how can we?"

The minor nobles who had been watching the battle were stunned—they couldn't understand why they were being sent across now.

But some clever ones understood: "Of course—they want us to be cannon fodder, to distract the wolf riders so they don't slaughter the legion guards and great noble troops!"

"This… this is utterly disgraceful!"

"Yes! These rotten-ass great nobles—do their men's lives matter more than ours?"

"Exactly! Making our men cannon fodder in normal combat is one thing!"

"But now, to preserve their own strength, they're using us as shields—this is beyond shameless!"

Instantly, as Hernald Marquis had predicted, the minor nobles began cursing loudly.

Though they'd always been cannon fodder.

But normal cannon fodder was tradition—part of the division of labor with the great nobles.

At critical moments, even the great nobles' men were expected to sacrifice.

But now, it was time for the great nobles' men to fight.

Yet they shirked responsibility, forcing the minor nobles to bear the brunt again.

All the benefits went to them; all the losses fell on the minor nobles—of course the minor nobles were furious.

But orders were absolute. The minor nobles cursed, but they couldn't refuse.

They gritted their teeth and ordered their men to advance.

At that moment, Gervas sensed a venomous gaze fixed on him from nearby—it was Vireld.

But Gervas didn't care. He turned instead to Mil and the others, who were also shouting curses.

"Gentlemen, this is dangerous—but also an opportunity. When we cross, keep close to my men—we might pick up a few beast heads!"

Hearing this, Mil and the others fell silent, nodded, and ordered their men to follow Gervas's unit.

Gervas then began briefing Lei Meng on the battle situation.