Chapter 265 - 158: Forced Assault
Two days remained until the end of the month!
After yesterday’s bloody battle, both sides had suffered losses.
The Northern Expedition Legion had taken 100,000 casualties and the Sniper Corps 70,000. The fallen were mostly Shield Soldiers, along with a small number of ranged units.
These losses were negligible to armies of their size, though proportionally, the Sniper Corps’ casualty rate was slightly higher.
Mei Yuan was very pleased with this outcome. After a day of experimentation, he had already found a better method of attack.
"Issue the order! Everyone, prepare yourselves. Today, we’ll try an all-out assault. We will strive to crush the Sniper Corps in a single blow."
He glanced at the mountain range next to the pass and muttered to himself, ’According to the plan, they should have descended by now. They’ll be attacking the enemy’s territory today. I hope everything goes smoothly.’
...
The soldiers of the Northern Expedition Legion launched another attack.
This time, the Northern Expedition Legion fully leveraged its numerical superiority.
As many as two million Shield Soldiers stood ready. A single Shield Soldier took the lead, activating his defensive skill. A protective shield appeared over his small area, transforming it into a safe zone.
Then, a Shield Soldier from behind him ran a short distance ahead and activated his own defensive skill, establishing another small safe zone.
The two safe zones were very close, with only a small gap between them.
A third Shield Soldier followed, then a fourth, a fifth...
Just like that, the Northern Expedition Legion’s Shield Soldiers began from below their own encampment, creating a continuous chain of protected areas all the way to the Sniper Corps’ front line.
Next, more of the Northern Expedition Legion’s soldiers charged through this chain of safe zones, rushing toward the Sniper Corps’ position.
Countless ranged units also stood beside the Shield Soldiers, relentlessly attacking the Sniper Corps.
The Sniper Corps’ commander, Fan Yuxuan, was stunned by this development. He had planned to cautiously observe the Northern Expedition Legion’s tactics for the day—to play it safe—but he had nearly lost it all.
This formation from the Northern Expedition Legion allowed their melee soldiers to pour onto the Sniper Corps’ position in a continuous stream.
Meanwhile, countless ranged troops could also attack freely under the protection of the Shield Soldiers.
But the Sniper Corps still only had a single line of Shield Soldiers at the very front, a formation that immediately left their own ranged units vulnerable to attack.
He quickly came to his senses, however, and immediately ordered the front line of Shield Soldiers to slowly retreat.
He then had all his high-tier ranged units take positions on the encampment’s perimeter walls, using the higher ground to gain a range advantage over the Northern Expedition Legion’s ranged units.
This way, they wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked by the Northern Expedition Legion and could stand in a denser formation, achieving a higher density of fire.
Furthermore, since their own ranged units were of a higher grade than those of the Northern Expedition Legion, their attack power was naturally greater.
"Order the ranged units on the walls to attack in waves, grouped by attack type! Strive for constant attack coverage on the enemy’s front line every second!"
"Order half the artillery to focus fire on the enemy’s frontline Shield Soldiers! Don’t let them advance any further!"
With these orders, the Northern Expedition Legion’s foremost charge point would be under constant fire from the Sniper Corps. Advancing would now cost them even more casualties.
And due to the density and intensity of the attacks, it became difficult for the Northern Expedition Legion to establish new safe zones there.
Of the Shield Soldiers who rushed out to use their skills, the stronger ones could last for a breath or two; the weaker ones were killed before they could even activate their skills.
Then, Fan Yuxuan swiftly ordered the reserve Shield Soldiers within the encampment to move out.
Working in pairs, they mimicked Mei Yuan’s side, establishing their own Shield Soldier-supported safe zones.
Because they worked in pairs, when one Shield Soldier’s shield was broken, a second would immediately use their skill to replace the shattered shield. The first Shield Soldier would then quickly swap places with a comrade who wasn’t under focused fire (they would try to ensure there was always at least one ready Shield Soldier in an adjacent position). With the help of support Mages, they would rapidly recover their stamina, energy, and skill cooldowns, preparing to take over again.
This approach ensured the safe zones remained intact and that the personnel were kept safe.
However, this strategy used up virtually all the Shield Soldiers within the encampment.
Due to their limited numbers, the area of the safe zones established by the Sniper Corps was significantly smaller than the Northern Expedition Legion’s, and these zones were constantly under attack.
Fortunately, thanks to the suppression from the high-tier ranged units and artillery on the encampment walls, the Northern Expedition Legion’s safe zones could not advance further. Their ranged attacks only reached the front of the encampment, leaving the interior untouched.
Then, within the safe zones their Shield Soldiers had established, Fan Yuxuan also put what he had just learned to use. Various ranged and support units attacked the enemy and healed their allies under the cover of the Shield Soldiers.
At the same time, melee units would periodically charge out of the safe zones to clash with the onrushing Northern Expedition Legion soldiers, protecting their own Shield Soldiers from enemy melee harassment.
After the initial panic, the Sniper Corps quickly finished its adjustments, and the two sides were once again evenly matched.
No, in fact, the Sniper Corps had swiftly gained the upper hand.
Although it looked like the Northern Expedition Legion was relentlessly assaulting the Sniper Corps’ position, these charging soldiers never returned. Most of the melee troops and Shield Soldiers who rushed out of the safe zones died on the front line, and the majority never even made it close to the Sniper Corps’ Shield Soldiers.