Pale Emblem

Chapter 46 A String
Half-orc coolies have low intelligence, lanky builds, and noticeably thin keratinized skin, providing little defense and no talent for blood rage.Half-elf archers like to shoot unarmored targets.But it cannot be denied that half-orc coolies and fighters look alike.When they were mixed together, when the group charged, it was difficult for the half-elf archers to distinguish who was a coolie and who was a fighter.

According to his previous military combat experience, Bartom thought that the orc fighters should use coolies to cover themselves, but the fact surprised him.

The charge formations of these half-orcs from the outer domain can be said to be quite distinct. More than 1000 coolies rushed to the front of the team, and more than 200 fighters fell behind, trying their best to maintain the coolies' charge, while a dozen orc butchers stopped halfway through.They were located just outside the effective range of the ballista, more than 300 meters away from the city wall, and spread out, shouting and commanding the orc warriors to drive away the coolies.

Seeing this situation, Bartom instantly believed Vertok's judgment.The half-orc leader tried to consume the arrows and stamina of the Braun garrison with coolies, and to reduce the mouths of the half-orcs to eat.This seems to show from the side that the food of the half-orc and barbarian army cannot support a battle for too long.

Bartom immediately revised the previous order and sent a shop assistant who acted as a messenger to ask the half-elf archers to stabilize first, wait for the half-orc fighters to enter the effective range of the crossbow, and then focus fire on them.

The problem was that Braun's defenders had little ability to make tactical adjustments in accordance with the temporarily modified orders.They knew that it was impossible for the Orcs to climb the 20-meter-high city wall, but they couldn't help but shoot at the enemy rushing in front.

Set fire?

How many people set fire to a target?
Who is the target of the fire?

These problems will not be clear for a while, and it will be much easier to shoot arrows and javelins out of your hands.

I don't know who was able to start, but a feather arrow flew out of the city wall and shot through the neck of a half-orc coolie.It fell on the snow and turned over a group of coolies.The half-elf archers seemed to have received a signal, and for a time, arrows like locusts all over the sky rushed towards the place where the half-orcs were densest.

The sharp arrow shot at the half-orc coolie, bringing out a fluffy flower of blood.They screamed and howled, instinctively grabbing the shaft of the arrow, trying to pull out the arrow soaked in the body, but were knocked over and trampled by the companions behind.With the physique of a half-orc, one or two arrows may not be fatal, but if they fall on the ground, they can hardly get up.

Vertok looked down from the tower and found that the orc's group charge was interrupted. The coolies who rushed in the front fell down with arrows one after another, and those behind pushed forward again, and then were shot by sharp arrows, repeating the companion's Bad luck.The rain of arrows poured by the half-elf archers was like an invisible wall, standing between the half-orcs and the city wall, making it impossible for them to cross the restricted area.

He frowned and said to himself in confusion, "Why don't the orcs spread out?"

Bartom said from the side: "Coolies are stupid. They always think that they are very powerful when they have companions around them. When they are afraid, they will run away collectively, but they still don't know how to spread out... Hmph, a group of rabble."

Vertoc wasn't sure whether the innkeeper was scolding the orcs or the half-elf guards on the city walls.

"Of course, it's not easy to turn around when a group is charging. When I was a soldier, I also thought that the commander ordered me to charge, and I lay on the ground and pretended to be dead. In fact, as long as I ran with the group, Whether it's lying down or turning around and running away, it will only make the death more ugly... Be careful! Orc warriors are about to throw a throwing axe, they are all crouching against the parapet!" Bartom was chatting, and suddenly shouted.

The half-orc fighters who followed the coolies were within 100 meters of the city wall. They took out the stone-polished flying axe, and with their powerful explosive force, they threw the flying axe directly on the city wall. The throwing distance was even longer than the effective range of the war bow. far.

Hundreds of high-speed spinning axe smashed down, even if it was made of stone, the lethality was amazing enough.Suddenly, screams and curses rang out from the city wall.However, Bartom had instructed the half-elves in advance on how to avoid the flying axes of the half-orcs. Except for a few people who were usually free and undisciplined and did not listen to commands, most of the guards crouched under the cover in time and were not hit by the flying stone axes.And those unlucky ghosts who were smashed were loud enough to yell and scolded, presumably it was not a big problem.

In any case, more than 700 condescending half-elf bowmen were crushed by more than 200 half-orcs.Although Bartom had expected this kind of situation, he was still very angry with this group of rabble.

No matter how good a commander is, if there are no qualified soldiers under him, everything is empty talk.Besides, Bartom is not a good commander either.

Of course, the half-orc fighters were no better than the half-elf guards of Braun Town.They are combative by nature, obviously throwing axes farther than bows and crossbows. It can be seen that the half-elf archers are all huddled behind the parapet, and they follow the coolies forward in a foolish way.

After all the throwing axes they were carrying were thrown out, these half-orc fighters had already rushed to a position 60 meters away from the city wall, entering the effective killing range of the bow and crossbow.

A red-skinned orc fighter was fumbling around on his body, trying to find another flying axe, but was hit by a swiftly flying arrow in its thick neck.The half-orc warrior turned his head angrily, and another arrow was shot in the forehead, then in the chest and abdomen.

The red light on the horny skin quickly faded, and the orc fighter panicked and turned to escape. A sharp feather arrow pierced the back of his neck, and the sharp arrow came out from the throat.Before it fell, arrows were also inserted into the back of the waist and the back of the head.The orc warrior was really dead this time.

"Vill, you shoot beautifully!" Bartom didn't forget to praise Vertok while shooting with a military crossbow.

On the tower, Vertoc held his breath, raised his fine war bow again, and aimed at the next target.

He just discovered that the blood rage talent of the Orc Warrior has a defensive effect of reducing damage by 30%-40%.Bloodrage's power fades quickly when hit by a series of blows; bloodrage fades quickly when a half-orc fighter is timid.He can shoot a half-orc fighter with almost seven feather arrows, and the combat breathing method combined with the wolf's combat skills and dexterous two-hand talent allows him to quickly shoot 8 sharp arrows in the blink of an eye, and the arrows can hit within 60 meters. The goal.

This level of shooting skills has reached the level of a third-level bow fighter, but is this the limit of Vertoc?
Bartom was not sure, but he knew that the basic strength that Vertok usually showed was not inferior to that of a professional with a third-level physique.Vertoc is not yet an Awakened, and has a bottomless potential.If Vertoc belongs to the Adventurer's House, it doesn't matter if the Braun stronghold is lost, they can still get back on their feet and go further and climb higher!
There are dozens of professional bow fighters on the city wall. All of them are sharp shooters. They exerted their abilities to the extreme. Those half-orc fighters suddenly became living targets.Two of the fourth-level bow fighters aimed specifically at the eye sockets of the orc fighters, killing them with one arrow.

The orc warriors collapsed, they turned and ran back, and the coolies who had already rushed under the corner also fled.This time, the half-elf archer controlled himself, and finally did not waste the arrow crossbow on the half-orc coolie.

The half-orc wolf hurriedly escaped the range of the bow and crossbow, leaving corpses one after another on the snow beside the city wall.

At the end of the battle, the Braun defenders killed about 200 orc coolies on the spot, shot and killed 31 orc fighters, and wounded countless orcs.On the Braun Town side, only 6 half-elf shooters were injured by the ejected flying axes. They were protected by armor and had almost no battle damage.

The battle can be said to be a complete victory, and cheers rang out from the city walls.

Infected by the joyful atmosphere, Bartom also said happily: "Our soldiers need this kind of encouragement..." He sighed quietly again, the initiative on the battlefield is still in the hands of the orcs and barbarians, and the situation is not Instead of changing because of one victory, it became more severe.

In the dark night, the barbarians did not stop firing bolts at the walls of Braun Town.Bartom tried to organize the professionals and pulled out the large crossbow bolts nailed to the city wall. As a result, hundreds of orcs ran over and used throwing axes to attack the professionals who were hung by ropes outside the city wall.

Those professionals were extremely agile. They escaped back to the city wall in time and were not injured, but they couldn't continue to complete the task of pulling out the nails.The half-orcs learned smart this time, they forced the professionals back and ran back, always hovering 300 meters away, monitoring every move on the city wall.

At such a long distance, even a fourth-level bow fighter has no good way to take them. An excellent longbow can penetrate steel armor within 150 meters, and can barely reach a target more than 200 meters away by using projectile skills, but the power of the arrow is only Take a big discount.As for the ballista, it only depends on luck when it hits a target 300 meters away.The fourth-level bow fighter with eagle eye ability tried twice with the ballista, but was so angry that he wanted to smash the ballista.

The barbarian ballistas were not idle, and the "bang" and "bang" sound of the steel crossbow penetrating the city wall was like the footsteps of death, making everyone's heart heavy.

The next morning, Vertoc found that there were finally two "steps" on the wall for the enemy to climb.If the Orcs were the only places where they could settle, no matter how many they were, they would not be able to attack them, but after all, this was not a good sign.

Deputy Captain Huck, a professional blacksmith in Braun Town, had an idea. He hung the cotton cloth soaked in kerosene on the giant crossbow bolts and continued to burn them. They are pulled and bent, forming a small angle with the wall.

Vertoc couldn't help but admire Vice Captain Huck. He remembered a sentence in his memory: No one's wisdom should be underestimated, and a qualified leader should be good at discovering the potential of his subordinates and listening to their opinions.

Am I a leader before?
Vertok suddenly felt that he was so powerful, and a little complacent.

The orcs saw that the fire was burning here, but their response was relatively slow, perhaps because they couldn't strike iron, until after they communicated with the barbarian warriors, they sent coolies and fighters to attack the city wall of Braun Town.However, this was of no avail. It was nothing more than repeating what happened yesterday, charging in groups, dropping dozens of corpses, and then escaping back.

Today, the orcs charged back and forth several times, and more than 200 coolies were shot.Vertoc could see that the Orcs had made progress in a futile battle.Instead of crossing the 100-meter limit, their fighters stayed out of range of the crossbow, attacking half-elf archers on the city walls with their throwing axes.

Not to mention the attack effect of the flying axe, the orc warrior at least showed a certain degree of discipline.Even if a companion is struck in two by a powerful ballista, they will not easily escape.

Vertok didn't know what the half-orcs and barbarians thought, but hundreds of half-orc coolies lay in the snow and no one was buried, which made him feel an inexplicable feeling in his heart.

More than 400 coolies curled their bodies, silently covered by snowflakes, revealing the silent tragedy and desolation.

Bartom's expression was heavy, and he squeezed a sentence out of his teeth: "The leader of this group of orcs is cruel enough..."

Vertok nodded, and said mysteriously: "He has a string in his heart."

"String? What string?" Bartom asked, turning his head.

Vertoc thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I can't tell, but I think the half-orc leader needs a big victory to loosen the string, otherwise he will be attacked..."

The hotel owner was about to ask questions, but the shop assistant ran over panting and said excitedly, "Boss, Max is back, it's in the hotel."

Bartom was immediately overjoyed, hesitated, shook his head and said, "If I can't leave the city wall, you go and call Max over, don't let others know."

Not long after, the captain of the scout disguised as a shop clerk quietly came to Bartom and said in a low voice with a smile, "Head, I'm back."

Bartom looked at the undercover hunter seriously, and found that the other party had complete hands and feet, his face was flushed, and he didn't look like he was injured. He finally punched him with confidence, and said angrily: "We all thought you died outside!"

"Bah! I'm fine, you old guy is dead, I won't die." Max sneered mercilessly, and then couldn't help laughing with Bartom.

"How is it? After wandering outside for so many days, what did you find?" The innkeeper asked with concern.

"It's all bad news." The top priority scout of the Adventurer's House put away his cynical smile and said calmly: "The Orcs from Outland have mobilized their troops, and I have space for activities on the other side of Lake Braun. I found that the population of this tribe is far away. It's far beyond our expectations. I roughly estimated that there were at least 13000 orcs, and they were a huge orc tribe."

"The eldest mother of the orcs has moved to the plantation, which means that their main army has shifted towards Braun Town. In addition, on the other side of the lake, there are about 5000 orcs, which have also been assembled. They can attack the barbarian tribes. , can support the battle here at any time.”

"In addition, my men went around the forest to the west of the back door of Braun Town to investigate, and they found an ambush consisting of 600 orc fighters, lurking in the forest to the west, and it seemed that they were preparing to ambush and evacuate from the back door of the town. people."

Bartom showed a dejected look, but he still asked persistently, "How much food do you think they have?"

Max smiled bitterly: "Head, I have tried my best, but I really don't know about this issue."

Bartom was silent for a long time, reluctantly recovered his spirits, and instructed the undercover hunter: "Detect a relatively safe retreat path as soon as possible, and when necessary, we can only find a way to break out. As for the old and weak women and children in the town... .It's impossible to control, one can escape one is one."

"Vill, when the time comes, we will protect you and evacuate together."

Vertok was distracted. The "knowledge puzzle" connected the information brought back by Max with some of the things Mayor Maine had said. All the clues gradually became clear. He murmured, "I understand..."

"Understand what?" the innkeeper asked expectantly.

Vertoc ignored him and asked the undercover hunter, "Max, how many orc coolies have you seen?"

Max scratched his head and said, "I also find it strange that there are not many orc coolies in Outland. Logically speaking, the coolies in the Orc tribe should account for at least half of the total population, but they are more low-level fighters."

"That's right." Vertok smiled confidently, nodded and said: "The leader of the Orcs in Outland is preparing for the war that follows... The war with the regular army of Fallen Leaves City."

"And then? What does this have to do with us?"

Vertok looked at the innkeeper and said softly: "We can let them let us go... I have an idea to move all the food to the front wall, and prepare the kerosene... Max, you go out Once, watch the orcs in ambush at the back door, and if you find them moving to the front door, report back in time. Then, the old and weak women and children in the town can escape through the back door, and we can wait."

"Wait?"

"Well, when the orcs attack the city wall, we will also break through the back door, and then try to escape the pursuit of the orcs and barbarians!"

"What if the orcs in ambush don't move?"

"Then burn up all the food."

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In the pine forest and snow, the ten brothers of the Split Rock tribe gathered together.One of the butchers said gruffly: "Quil, you let the coolies die, and the big mothers are very angry. They say, if you don't stop, the curse of the mother earth will fall on your head... I see, You'd better talk to the big mothers and find a way to quell their anger and resentment."

Quil Ngra is like a silent volcano, and no one knows that his inner worries and anger are venting nowhere.Even his nine brothers could not understand his thoughts.

The ten brothers of the Rift Tribe are not blood brothers, but assistants promoted by Quel'n'gra along the way.Some of the ten brothers butchers died in battle, and several have been exchanged. Quel Ngra maintains the ten brothers of the Split Rock Tribe just to prove one thing.

Since being elected leader by the Big Mothers of the tribe and leading the migration of the Rock Crack tribe, Quel'N'gra has found himself wise and powerful.He defeated one opponent after another, conquered one tribe after another, and the changes became more and more obvious.His strength and wisdom are enough to command more than 10000 orcs.The ten brothers who were entrusted with important tasks by him also rapidly increased their strength in a short period of time, far exceeding other butchers.

Quel N'gra believed that as long as his tribe continued to grow, his abilities would grow with it.This is definitely a gift from the Mother Earth, so he must not let the Rock Splitter Orcs re-scatter into small tribes.

However, relying solely on conquest and plunder, the Cracked Rock Tribe has grown to its limit and is on the verge of collapse.Even if he stopped to cultivate his health and herd wild boars now, he could not change the fate of the tribe's division.Because, relying on pig herding alone, the Lianyan tribe cannot support more than 1 orcs.

After arriving at Lake Braun, Quel Ngra discovered the barbarians who could farm the land, and saw an opportunity to change his fate.

During the migration, the weak coolies kept falling behind.The mothers were delighted that Quel Ngra decided to take root in the Braun Lake basin, and they were ready to replenish the number of orc coolies.

Big mothers won't understand that if the Rock Crack tribe merges with the Braun Lake barbarians, the coolies will be useless, and their cubs will be more of a fighter.

What's more, the Split Rock Tribe wanted to stay in Braun Lake, which was rich in water and grass, and had to face two powerful enemies.One is the Black Fire Tribe, and the other is the Dissa Half-Elf Alliance.

Quel'N'gra doesn't think the Rift can defeat either of these two opponents, nor does he need to defeat them, just get their acknowledgment.

In order to do this, Rift Rock must first be supported by the Braun Lake barbarians.Therefore, the hands of the local barbarians must be stained with the blood of the half-elves.

The counterattack of the Dissa Half-Elves Alliance is foreseeable, and whether the Rift Rock will be acquiesced by the Blackfire Chieftain, Quel Ngra is still uncertain.But he is willing to block the fate of the Rift Rock tribe, and the worst result is nothing more than wandering again.

With the strength of the Split Rock Tribe, it was easy for Quelngra to take the small half-elf stronghold of Braun Town.But he had to ensure that the half-elves inside were slaughtered by the barbarians, and he also had to prepare for the war that followed.

Quel'n'gra knew that only by defeating the regular legions of the half-elves would the Rock Crack tribe be eligible to take root in Lake Braun.

It is necessary to reduce the number of barbarian coolies, otherwise the rations of the Rift Horde will not be able to support a real war.

Do stupid coolies farm?
If they can't learn to farm, they will be useless except to waste food and slow down the fighters.

"I'll talk to the big mothers, but today I'm going to let the coolies attack the city." Quel Ngra said, his eyes suddenly narrowed, "Huh? What are the half-elves doing?"

Hundreds of meters away on the city wall, a half-elf opened a large bag with a dagger, let the mud gourd powder inside pour out, then threw the bag down the city wall, and threw a torch to set the bag containing food on fire.

The smell of scorched grains could be smelled by Quel Ngra from a distance.He immediately pointed to the bag under the city wall and said, "Send the fighters over and pick up the bag for me."

Moments later, a group of orc warriors dropped several corpses and brought the half-burned bag to the chief.

Quel Ngra grabbed a handful of scorched melon powder and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it while saying, "Ingrid has said that the food in Braun Town is enough for 1000 half-elves to eat for two years, if it is burned It will only take a while...hehe, if that's the case, let the fighters lurking in the west all come back, and I'll take down Braun Town today!"

(End of this chapter)