Zyrus closed the chart and looked back at the players. He was certain that his plan would succeed. The soldiers would report their findings to their superiors and the chain would continue all the way to him. They were weak, but their instincts and intelligence weren’t to be belittled. Like a giant pyramid the information on runes would be getting more and more compact as it reached the top. It was simply a matter of time before it bore the fruit of success.
Zyrus believed that a species shouldn’t be judged based on the strongest. It was the weakest of one's kind that showcased their true status. The greatest example of this ideology were the dragons. Even the lowest of their kin, even the ones who possessed a mere strand of their bloodline weren’t to be looked down upon.
He knew what would happen if he was successful. The weakest player under him would have the right to hold their heads high, even in front of a dragon.
<Do we…continue?>
Ria’s sudden voice brought him out of his thoughts. Zyrus had told the players to always leave a way out for the natives, and now, they were all trapped in a corner.
<No. Slow down the assault and let them recover>
<…May I ask why?>
The fact that she was able to ask this question meant that the situation was in the players’ favor.
<Pay attention to what I’m about to say>
Zyrus decided to speak to everyone instead of just answering Ria. The players weren’t too pleased despite being on the winning side. They had launched a surprise attack, they outnumbered the enemy’s true fighting force by dozens of times, and yet, they had this much trouble winning.
It didn’t require much thought to predict what would happen when they faced a true army and not a ragtag bunch of civilians. They knew by now that their leader’s words were worth their weight in gold.
And sure enough, the following speech was something they’d always remember.
<Keep in mind some tricks when you’re fighting against an intelligent enemy. Most of you will be following orders regardless, but still, this is to clarify some things so you don’t harbor other thoughts in the middle of a war>
Zyrus spoke in a friendly tone, but the words that came out were anything but that.
< Let's ignore defense for the time being. When you’re attacking an enemy camp, a village, a castle…there is one thing you must remember. Don’t let them give their all in a fight. Don’t let them burn their lives as a pyrrhic conquest is the last thing you want.
Then comes the question– how do you do that? How can you stop the enemies from giving their all when they’re fighting for their lives? It's quite simple if you think about it. Learn their motives for war. Understand what they’re fighting for, and use it against them.
Is it a righteous army fighting to protect the commoners? Grant the non-combatants a safe passage then. This will weaken their will to fight as there’s nothing to protect except their own lives. Is it an army led by evil and corrupt commanders? Use the common populace against them. Using the refugees as meat shields, spreading plagues via them, food shortage… use everything in your hands to break the enemy’s unity. They would be at their weakest where there isn’t a greater cause that binds them>
Every player was quiet on the battlefield. Whether they agreed with the words didn’t matter. From the start, they were trained to obey first and think later. Good soldiers didn’t have to be good people.
Zyrus didn’t care about their response and continued,
<What I gave you was an extreme example. People aren’t always separated by good and evil, the same goes for armies. More often than not, the soldiers are there because they couldn't find any other job. Their first instinct is to protect their life and those around them, just like every living creature.
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How do you stop them from going all out then? The answer is again simple. Don’t threaten their lives. Give them a hope of survival, false or not. Leave a way out so they never think about perishing alongside you. Unless a day arrives when you can kill your foes without losing a single ally, do not forget these words.>
*Crrraackckk*
Zyrus’s words were right on time as the natives retreated from the other gate. They valiantly took the players' attacks because there was hope for their family to survive.
But he knew that this was just a façade. The emotions they showcased were nothing but a mockery to life. No matter how realistic they acted, puppets would always be puppets.
<Are the mages ready?>
<Yes>
<Good. Proceed as planned>
Zyrus zoomed in on the hundreds of natives who were fleeing like ants. He wouldn’t be so cruel against any other opponents because first and foremost, he wasn’t a psychopath that enjoyed needless killing.
People were the biggest asset of any kingdom. No sane conqueror would mistreat them for short-term gains. He understood that using force was bound to create the seeds of rebellion. Winning their hearts was the key factor, even if it was achieved via manipulation.
The natives couldn’t really die even if they wanted to. Capturing them was dangerous because they were ticking time bombs; quite literally.
Thus, the conditions for victory were simple.
<Kill them all>
*Booooooom*
*Shuuaaa*
Thousands of spells detonated in an instant. Even the natural laws of metal were rendered useless in front of the vast surge of mana.
Fireballs, icicles, wind blades, mud field…every spell imaginable was used on the fleeing natives. The lucky few that survived the onslaught of mana were killed off by the Specter scorpions and the goblin riders.
[Congratulations! You have conquered an enemy space]
[Defend for half an hour to occupy this space]
[Enemy king has been given the priority in using a turn]
[They have forfeited their right]
Zyrus rubbed his chin as he thought over the possibilities. Things would be more difficult if the enemy took their time analyzing his troops.
But it wasn’t like he had no countermeasures against it.
<Rest for an hour and move out. We march forward>
…
Two days later, a projection of Zyrus was hovering inside the command camp. In the short span of 48 hours they had conquered another 7 spaces.
Counting the first one, they were almost halfway towards reaching their final goal. But it wasn’t as big of a victory as it sounded. 5 of the spaces were already unoccupied while the remaining two were deserted by the natives.
While Zyrus managed to win over many spaces with relative ease, he also lost the advantage of surprise. He was certain that by now all of his army’s information was in the capital's council.
“So, any bright ideas?” Zyrus asked the group of 10 sitting in a circle. It was no longer feasible to conquer more spaces without stretching out their troops. And considering their lack of individual strength, that would be nothing but suicide.
It wasn’t for no reason that he had spent a whole month just to gather the players around 3 spaces. Ideally speaking, the shatar was supposed to be played with 16 pieces. It was just that the difference between both sides’ pieces was too big.
To make an example, Zyrus had his chess pieces made of paper while the enemy’s pieces were made up of hardened steel. Strategy was useless here when you didn’t have the strength to knock down the opponent.
It was a weird analogy; but one that was perfect for this scenario.
“Rooar… let's just fight them one by one,” a lion-headed man spoke in a gruff voice. Unsurprisingly, no one except Strongfist nodded at his proposal.
The bare-chested man wearing a short kilt was none other than one of the two leaders of the beast legion. His crimson mane and flaming golden eyes made it easy to judge his temperament. The beast legion had awakened their sentience to a great extent, and the leaders among them were no different from orcs and trolls.
“That’s a valid proposal despite how simple it sounds.”
Zyrus agreed with the point, but its disadvantages were too obvious. And from the looks of it, others knew it as well.
“Haha…of course, I Maahes, have a clear plan in mind. It’s just that our guys are too weak.”
Silence once again descended on the camp. What Maahes mentioned was their biggest hurdle. The players had gained a significant amount of exp, enough for the majority to reach lv 40. Things would’ve been easier if not for Zyrus’s command that came right after; those at lv 40 were to halt their class and racial upgrades and focus on buying as many elemental seeds as they could.
100,000 points were no joke. It was true that saving the precious opportunity to assimilate one’s strength was a good idea, but it didn’t do anything to solve their issues at hand.
“How about a direct attack on the capital? We can pull it off if we use our turns right.”
“That won’t work this time,” Zyrus shook his head at Ria. There was no way for him to reach the capital. And without him, he didn’t believe the players had what it took to pull off a blitz attack.
Chapter 192: We march Forward
8 min read