Capítulo 136: The Beginning of the War
As time passed day by day, the atmosphere along Hadrian's Wall grew increasingly solemn. Everyone was bustling about, diligently doing what needed to be done, preparing for the impending war.
As the most respected general present, Pallas took up the mantle of overall command without hesitation. Apart from tactical arrangements, he displayed remarkable skill in resource allocation and personnel deployment, showcasing his exceptional military expertise.
Drawing from historical experience, Arkhan knew better than to meddle in areas he wasn't familiar with. Thus, he refrained from interfering with Pallas's work and entrusted all authority to him.
One day, one of the court mages Arkhan had brought with him informed him that their familiars had spotted the Anglo-Saxon armies about twenty kilometers away, numbering around three thousand.
Arkhan immediately sought out Pallas and relayed this intelligence.
"This should be the enemy's vanguard, indicating that the main force isn't far behind." Pallas mused for a moment, then turned to Arkhan. "Your Majesty, what is the purpose of this war for you?"
Arkhan was slightly taken aback, not expecting Pallas to bring up this question suddenly.
"Why does it matter?" He asked with a puzzled tone.
"War is a game of pursuing interests. Different goals determine the methods we employ." Pallas explained calmly. "For instance, if your goal is to only drive them away, I would opt for a relatively cautious approach. If you intend to keep them all or even use this opportunity to counterattack, then I would choose a more aggressive strategy."
After a moment of contemplation, Arkhan smiled.
"Actually, I'm quite curious about your perspective on this war, General Pallas. How about this, we each write a word in our palms, representing our respective attitudes, what do you think?"
Pallas hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
"Sure."
They each picked up quills from the table and wrote a word in their palms.
"Let's see how well we understand each other."
Arkhan chuckled, opening his palm. Simultaneously, Pallas did the same.
Upon inspection, they both had written the same word—Attack!
Arkhan and Pallas exchanged a glance and burst into laughter simultaneously.
"Looks like despite your age, you haven't lost an ounce of your fiery spirit, General Pallas." Arkhan remarked with a smile.
"I've endured for a whole fifteen years; it's time to teach those barbarians a lesson!" A hint of cold determination flashed in Pallas's iron-gray eyes.
Following this, Pallas promptly organized an army of five thousand soldiers to ambush the vanguard.
Upon Arkhan's suggestion, this army was placed under the command of Artoria.
Pallas originally had scruples about this suggestion, but after Arkhan shared Artoria's experiences with him, he decided to trust the girl fostered by the Great Mage Merlin.
Three days later, news reached the front line that Artoria, leading the five thousand-strong army, had annihilated the three thousand-strong vanguard!
The news reverberated along Hadrian's Wall, instantly uplifting everyone's spirits. Morale received a significant boost.
Even Pallas couldn't help but be amazed, realizing he had underestimated the girl.
The news of the total defeat of the vanguard quickly reached the Northern Alliance, stirring shock and anger in Commander Lox, who was the commander of this alliance army.
"Looks like that old geezer has already caught wind of our whereabouts." Lox sneered coldly. "Since that's the case, we don't need to keep hiding. Notify the entire army and move at full speed!"
Fifteen years ago, they had a clear chance to seize the South in one fell swoop but were ordered to retreat without any clear reason. Moreover, they were strictly ordered not to set foot in the South. Lox couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration and annoyance.
After waiting patiently for an opportunity, he didn't hesitate to step forward and take up the grand banner. Originally planning to follow King Vortigern's instructions and advance slowly by playing it safe, Pallas's surprise attack shattered Lox's calm demeanor.
He already held Camelot in contempt, considering them no more than gasping livestock. This covert operation was supposed to catch Camelot off guard.
Those Camelotians couldn't possibly anticipate that the North would assemble a fifty-thousand-strong army heading south. It was supposed to be a piece of cake to take down Hadrian's Wall effortlessly.
Unfortunately, before Lox could make a move, the enemy drew first blood! The seemingly secure battle strategy suffered a loss of three thousand soldiers, a colossal humiliation for him.
It felt akin to getting bitten while teasing a cricket. Lox couldn't swallow this insult.
Ten days later, under Lox's command, an army of fifty thousand from the north direction approached Hadrian's Wall, ready for action.
"Pay the price for your earlier arrogance! Charge!" Lox grinned maliciously, decisively giving the order to attack.
The Northern army, consisting of five thousand Anglo-Saxons, roared with excitement, resembling a massive dark storm cloud charging towards Hadrian's Wall.
However, at this moment, a brilliant light suddenly illuminated Hadrian's Wall.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Over a dozen magical light beams struck like divine punishment. The terrifying force caused the Northern soldiers to evaporate on the spot before they could even scream, leaving no bodies behind.
After the light beams barrage, the ground was filled with deep ravines. The entire army of five thousand suffered almost a fifty percent casualty rate in an instant.
The agonizing wails echoed beneath the heavy, iron-gray clouds covering the sky, resembling the arrival of doomsday.
Everyone's eyes showed intense horror, even Lox's face turned pale in an instant.
"This can't be... so many magical attacks. It would take at least a month to set up and charge those kinds of attacks... could it be that our operation has already been leaked?" Lox muttered to himself, suddenly feeling a violent tremor beneath his feet.
In shock, he lifted his head to see the gates of Hadrian's Wall had opened, and soldiers poured out like a flood, charging straight at them!
At that moment, Lox finally understood—the person teasing the cricket wasn't him at all.
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