Chapter 324: Days of Bloody Battle
Arrows rained down ceaselessly.
Taking the lives of dozens, even hundreds, of orcs.
Large, round stones rolled down.
Under massive kinetic energy, they crushed a bloody path through the orcs.
The sounds of battle echoed in the sky, wave after wave.
Orcs climbed the walls, only to be slain by the defensive soldiers.
Defensive soldiers, standing in neat formation, intentionally left space for the orcs to climb up and fight.
These strong orcs would then crash into shields in front, with spears striking from behind.
Their fierce struggle and resistance ultimately ended in defeat, becoming experience for the Bay Territory soldiers.
Yes, Matthew was using these ferocious orcs to train his troops!
No matter how fierce these orcs were, they were always isolated and scattered.
Against the united force of Bay Territory's soldiers, they simply had no power to break through Misty Fortress.
The heavily weakened orc army was growing weaker.
Meanwhile, Bay Territory's soldiers, tempered by battle, grew stronger by the day.
On the second day of fighting, the results were in.
Over 5,700 orc soldiers lay dead.
Bay Territory's casualties were lower than the first day.
This time, the orcs got smarter.
On their retreat, they ignited the fuel they had left behind, burning most of the bodies.
Billowing smoke and stench spread around.
Both sides licked their wounds and prepared for battle again.
Day three.
From the beginning, the battle was at its fiercest.
Orcs no longer attacked only from the slope, attempting to flank from the other two sides.
Countless orc soldiers, knowing neither fear nor dread, charged madly.
Bay Territory soldiers, prepared for them, showed no mercy.
As the orcs climbed halfway up, alchemical fuel was poured from above.
One spark, and the crude siege engines and the orc soldiers with them were all turned to ash.
With both flanking attacks failing, the orcs focused their assault on the main gate.
They even brought a battering ram, enduring Matthew's spells to repeatedly strike the gate.
Boulders rolled down, crushing unlucky orc soldiers in two.
The battle became a fierce tug-of-war—simple tactics, but intense fighting.
Matthew continued casting fireball spells, bombarding the enemy's engineering equipment, satisfied with the progress of his soldiers.
As the pressure mounted on his soldiers.
Matthew cast various group-enhancing spells.
Helping the soldiers hold their ground.
Whenever they seemed overwhelmed, the powerful guardian golems were activated to lead the charge.
After modification, the guardian golems were armored in heavy chainmail.
Their defense had significantly improved!
Using their immense size and strength, they "swept" through the orc soldiers.
Once the threat was eliminated, the guardian golems handed the defense back to the regular soldiers.
This cycle of combat allowed the soldiers to be tempered to the maximum extent while ensuring their safety.
Then came the third day, the fourth, and the fifth.
Every day, large numbers of orc soldiers died; their numbers dwindled, their strength weakened.
Bay Territory's soldiers also took losses, but they received reinforcements through the large teleportation array.
Upon learning that Alice's team had claimed the 50,000 gold bounty.
Other adventurers, driven by excitement, also rushed to Misty Fortress.
Matthew welcomed the straightforward adventurers wholeheartedly.
After learning that each orc kill rewarded 10 gold coins.
The adventurers were filled with enthusiasm and joined the defensive fight.
For them, hunting in a secure environment was a most profitable venture.
Besides the adventurers, Brown and Lynch, who had decided to side with Bay Territory, also brought their soldiers to Misty Fortress to join the defense.
Though their soldiers weren't as skilled as Bay Territory's.
They were more than adequate to guard the flanks or rotate for lower-intensity defense.
Their troops also learned some of Bay Territory soldiers' group combat tactics through imitation.
Angela had even approached Matthew, asking if he wanted to protect the secret of group combat training and coordination.
Matthew gave Angela a confident, inspiring answer.
"As long as our training, selection process, and reason for fighting remain unchanged."
"They will never fully learn Bay Territory's way of fighting."
"While they may learn a bit on the surface, and see some improvement, they will surely come to value their soldiers more."
"After all, they used to treat soldiers as cannon fodder. Now they'll be more precious, and that's not necessarily a bad thing."
Matthew's words quickly spread through Misty Fortress and Bay Territory.
Gaining universal approval and acknowledgment.
People finally realized that no other territory or lord valued the well-being of soldiers and citizens like Bay Territory did.
Though Lord Matthew often explained.
He only did it to train more talents, earn more money, and eventually build his mage tower.
But how could the people, who benefited so greatly, not be dedicated and hardworking?
The once turbulent territory quickly returned to calm.
They also rapidly absorbed and integrated the people transported there.
Turning them into new residents of Bay Territory, ready to live and work anew.
On the sixth day.
The orc army outside Misty Fortress was down to just over 20,000.
Though still a large number, it no longer seemed overwhelmingly terrifying.
On the contrary, adventurers who had profited over the past few days now saw these orcs as prey.
They would ambush them whenever the opportunity arose.
Killing seven or eight orcs wasn't too many, and killing one or two wasn't too few.
With their continuous harassment and ambushes, the orc camp was riddled with holes, and their supply depots had been burned three times.
All the grain the orcs had looted was completely destroyed.
Many of the captives they had taken also escaped amid the chaos.
Most of them were escorted away by adventurers and, by various means, sent to Bay Territory.
On the battlements, Matthew, sniffing the complex scent in the air, pointed to the gathering orc army preparing another assault and said calmly:
"Please inform Lord Harley that Bay Territory's mission is complete."
"If he is interested, we can make another deal!"
Ten thousand a day!
Charge!