Chapter 379: Combat Meeting
Troll Fortress, military meeting room.
Various pieces of intelligence quickly gathered information from different parts of the Dark Forest.
All the collected data was continuously being added to and adjusted on the sand table.
"A suspected coalition of orcs, trolls, and barbarians has appeared 200 kilometers northwest."
"The Gurubashi trolls are assembling, but they have not yet moved toward us."
"The barbarians in the northeast have increased their attacks on the other two troll clans."
Thanks to the efforts of the adventurers and the inspector teams, everyone was able to get a general understanding of the movements of the surrounding enemies.
Everyone sat around the military sand table, repeatedly studying the enemies in front of them.
"For now, the Gurubashi trolls are the closest to us and seem the most eager to attack us."
"The Gurubashi trolls are numerous; they have gathered over 80,000 trolls, but there are no immediate signs of an attack."
Angela presented the situation to everyone, looking over the densely forested area occupied by the Gurubashi trolls, feeling the difficulty of the situation.
The area occupied by the Gurubashi trolls was vast.
Over ten small tribes, large and small, firmly controlled the expanse of the forest they inhabited.
The sheer number of trolls, in the hundreds of thousands, made everyone's hearts skip a beat.
Even small-scale infiltration would be dangerous.
A large-scale attack would require at least 100,000 troops to push through, otherwise, it would be easy to get surrounded by the trolls.
Just dealing with the Gurubashi trolls alone was dangerous enough!
On top of that, the orc coalition was also approaching.
And then there were the barbarian marauders intensifying their attacks.
Just as everyone was deep in thought, Elio, who had become increasingly sensitive to intelligence, suddenly spoke up:
"Are the three forces planning to merge into one?"
Hearing Elio's words, the others immediately reacted, carefully examining their previous marching routes, and found that this was indeed the case.
One force alone was already difficult enough to deal with!
If the three forces combined...
Everyone felt the weight of the impending challenge.
The only comforting thought was that the Lord had noticed their plan and had taken steps to prepare in advance.
A hint of coldness flashed in Leon's eyes as he recalled the previous plan to harass the trolls and spoke bluntly:
"The Lord once said, whatever they intend to do, we must disrupt it."
Disrupting the unity of the three forces?
It seemed like a near-impossible idea!
But if they could pull it off, it would certainly be a good strategy.
Arnold, with his vast experience, couldn't help but laugh heartily:
"Haha, let's discuss and see if it's doable."
Angela, staring at the Gurubashi trolls who were right in front of them, started calculating a detailed attack plan, and didn't hesitate to express her thoughts:
"The orc coalition is far from us, and various setups would be ineffective, and easily evaded."
"I think we should start with the Gurubashi trolls; after all, we are quite familiar with them."
Thinking of the numerous scouting missions against the Gurubashi trolls over the past few months, Alice suddenly said:
"Although the Gurubashi trolls are numerous, they mainly rely on these two hunting grounds to the east and west for food."
"To the west, there's a plain with tens of millions of bison."
"To the east, there's a hilly area filled with many large herds and abundant resources."
"If we can disrupt these two places, even if the trolls don't fall into chaos, they'll face severe food shortages."
Alice's proposal hit the mark, showcasing her rich experience in adventure and hunting.
Old John, who was leading the discussion, noted Alice's suggestion and said:
"Against the Gurubashi trolls, we can target their food supply and their marching routes."
"Next, let's discuss the barbarian marauders attacking the two other troll forces."
Filia, who had just learned to lead a team and think from the perspective of a commander, blinked and immediately spoke up:
"How about like last time? We set up multiple strongholds along their route."
"Even if we can't completely stop their advance, we can at least force them to split their forces and expend some energy."
It was obvious that Filia had studied the previous battle against the barbarians in Bay Territory.
In fact, while not particularly clever, this method was very effective.
Old John clapped his hands lightly, nodding in agreement:
"This is a good plan. Plus, there's the matter of food. These barbarians don't have transport convoys, and there's no storage in the Dark Forest for them to plunder!"
Despite the abundance of resources in the Dark Forest, it was impossible to centrally supply an army of hundreds of thousands that were dragging along slowly.
Blocking their advance and cutting their food supply.
These two main strategies.
Everyone's eyes lit up, and they immediately started proposing various ways to delay the enemy's march.
Having frequently used these two strategies, everyone in Bay Territory had their own tricks and insights.
Before long, many cost-effective and efficient methods were listed.
The initial plan was to set up numerous obstacles for the three enemy forces.
Even if they couldn't prevent their union, at least they would slow them down, making them expend more energy.
Moreover, most of these tasks were very suitable for adventurers in small-scale skirmishes.
The basic strategy for facing the enemies before they could unite was now determined.
Absentmindedly stroking his chin, Beelzebub suddenly raised a pointed question as he recalled the information on the orcs and trolls:
"What is their goal? Who is directing the three forces?"
If they could figure out their objective, they could calmly make many preparations.
Identifying their commander would also provide valuable insight.
With this new question, everyone enthusiastically began discussing again.
This time, Matthew remained silent, seemingly prepared to leave everything to the others.
The Lord's approach made everyone excited, but also deeply pressured, pushing them to think harder for better solutions.
March 6th.
With the arrival of an important batch of supplies.
After finishing their combat plans.
The Bay Territory soldiers began their advance.
Numerous adventurers served as scouts and auxiliary forces.
A special team led by Matthew and Yaya had already entered the area occupied by the Gurubashi trolls.
After rechecking everyone's luck values, Matthew informed them of the team's mission.
"The Gurubashi trolls are powerful; we can't confront them head-on."
"We need to disrupt the eastern plains or temporarily drive the bison away."
Since the Gurubashi trolls refused to behave, they wouldn't have an easy time!
However, to implement such a large-scale plan, creating about three days of buffer time was crucial.
The goal of Matthew's special team was to clear out the nearby troll outposts and eliminate any sentries attempting to report information.
Multiple skirmishes were inevitable.