Real Mount and Blade Game

"Your analysis is insightful, my lord." Rezarit's calm voice rang out. He stepped forward and drew a circle on the map representing the city of Long and its surrounding areas, especially the subway station area.

"I suspect that it is precisely because of the strong presence of my Deherim Legion here, especially the several battles deep in the subway tunnels, that we have inflicted such severe damage on the 'Seventh Dynasty of Black Arrow Tower'."

He paused, his gaze grave: "When a powerful force is suddenly weakened by a heavy external blow, its equally powerful 'neighbors' who covet its territory or resources will naturally harbor inappropriate thoughts. This surprise attack and counterattack by the bone cavalry against the bone archers outside the city is probably the Ghostlight Dynasty taking advantage of your weakness to try to gradually erode or even replace you! They want to take advantage of the Black Arrow Towers being weakened by us, crush the enemy's main force in one fell swoop, and then seize this strategic stronghold for themselves!"

Rezarit's final conclusion points to that enormous temptation—the ruins of Ron and the more central metro tunnel nodes.

"Dogs fighting over territory!" Bestur growled, his eyes flashing with ferocity. "Even a bone fragment knows this stuff?!"

“I’m afraid so,” Eleanor replied, his voice calm yet sharp. “Among the shards and debris brought back by the scouts below the city, there were not only gray bone fragments from the Darklight Dynasty, but also pale bone shards like those from the Black Arrow Tower, as well as charred fragments of demon puppets… This chaotic battlefield remnant itself silently speaks of the ambitions of the multi-party war.”

This confirms Shen Mu's previous assessment that the various forces were wary of each other and waiting for an opportunity to act.

Shen Mu stood in front of the map again, his gaze sweeping over the faces of his core generals, finally settling on the area marked as dangerous and a battlefield.

"The devil's bait has been laid, and the fangs of the dead are tearing at each other. New Rivadin is the most steadfast rock in the eye of this storm."

He slowly raised his hand, his voice like tempered iron, carrying an undeniable commanding force: "Continue the surveillance, Bestur. Send two more scout squads. Have them act like the most cunning sand foxes, keeping a close watch on all unusual movements in the area where the two undead forces are fighting, especially the movements of those high-ranking bone armor cavalry who can unleash 'ghostly light'. I need to know how much strength they have left in this war of attrition."

“Rezarit, the fortress is our armor. The last watchtower of the city wall must be completed by noon tomorrow. The buffer zone in the horse trap area should be widened by ten paces to ensure that even if a cavalry group bursting with ‘ghost light’ rushes to the base of the wall, they will become live targets on our watchtowers.”

"Eleanor, double the reserve armor-piercing arrows for the Vaegir archers. From this moment forward, I require that 20% of the archers on every section of the city wall be on high alert at all times, with bowstrings drawn and arrows nocked, ready to meet any attack from any direction and in any form!"

He turned away, his back to the flickering firelight, leaving everyone with a silhouette that appeared even more resolute and aloof against the backdrop of the enormous map. Only his cold words echoed in the hall like a declaration of steel:
"Since they all want Rhône City, they all want this place, then let them come. Let them drain their last bit of decaying energy here, on this battlefield of mutual hatred, beneath the walls of Deherim. Their bones will become the foundation of the new city walls, their demise will forge the true safe boundary of New Rivadin! Order everyone to fortify the fortifications and prepare for battle. Our opportunity lies in their weakened state after their self-destruction!"

Inside the Lord's Hall, Shen Mu's cold yet powerful commands struck the three generals like boulders thrown into stagnant water, each word heavy and impactful, yet stirring up even greater fighting spirit.

Bestur patted his chest and growled, "Yes, sir!" He then turned and led Gegen, Batu, and the others out of the hall. The sounds of armor clashing with weapons quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor leading to the city tower, clearly indicating that they were about to mobilize troops and set up a more stringent surveillance network.

Elaine and Rezarit exchanged a glance, both seeing the admiration in each other's eyes for Shen Mu's analysis and decision-making.

Eleanor gently patted his chest at Shen Mu and said clearly, "My lord, I will go and adjust the defenses to ensure that the crossbows are always in optimal condition."

Rezarit added calmly, "The main structure of the arrow tower will be closed before dawn, and the widened buffer zone will be completed before sunset."

The two then turned and left swiftly, leaving only the crackling of burning torches and the faint sounds of commands coming from the distant city walls in the hall.

As the heavy hall doors closed, shutting out the night wind and noise outside, Shen Mu once again faced the enormous map alone.

His gaze fell on the "Dune Battle Zone" marker where the territories of the Second Dynasty of the Darklight and the Seventh Dynasty of the Black Arrow Tower met, then slowly moved to the sturdy emblem representing the New Rivadin Fortress, and finally settled on the words "Long City" outlined in dark ink.

He stretched out his finger and gently tapped the area marked with conflict and death. His icy face remained expressionless, except for a hint of cold smile, the kind of smile that only he himself understood, a smile that belonged to a strategist surveying the entire situation, flickering deep within his eyes, which were as deep as a cold pool.

"Interesting. These skeletal archers fought with those skeleton cavalry earlier. I initially thought it was just a coincidence, but it turns out they were indeed hostile..."

A deep, almost soliloquy voice echoed in the hall, carrying an almost ruthless sense of control: "Information from Hell, the chaos and infighting among the undead, this is truly fascinating."

His gaze was fixed on the deep, inky night sky outside the window, as if he had pierced through the thick fog and darkness and seen the dawn of order, written by his will, that would eventually arrive after the chaos.

Time, like the shifting sands that constantly erode the farmland outside the city of New Rivadin, quietly slipped by for more than ten days and nights.

The land in the east of the city that once still bore traces of the outskirts of Longcheng has now been completely transformed into a monotonous, desolate, gray-yellow desert.

The sparse vegetation has long since vanished, leaving only undulating sand dunes that endlessly devour the traces of past civilizations under the rules of the spirit world.

Only the subway station entrance and the ruins of Sujia Village, like the remains of the earth, silently tell the story of the past.

However, within the new city, the atmosphere was tense yet highly efficient.

Thanks to Shen Mu's continuous recruitment and Bestur's relentless training, the number of Kujit steppe bandits belonging to the Deherim Legion has surged to over five hundred.

This massive light cavalry force was not left idle in the city, but rather, like a handful of sand that Shen Mu poured into the desert, it was resolutely scattered by him into the increasingly dangerous and desolate land east of New Rivadin.

Their mission was clear and deadly—to become the eyes and ears extending from the walls of New Zhivadin.

These riders, honed by Bestur to be as alert and cunning as sand foxes, moved silently across the vast area in groups of two or three, relying on their natural adaptability to the sand.

They avoided the "Dune Battle Zone," where the two undead factions frequently clashed, and wove an invisible early warning network covering all the key passages and high-ground viewpoints leading to the fortress.

"My lord, Bestur requests a report." The Khergit voice rang out from the city wall, as always carrying the roughness of the steppe.

Shen Mu withdrew his gaze from the boundless sea of ​​sand outside the city and landed on Bestur's face, which showed slight anxiety due to the sandstorm and his vigilance. "Speak."

“Those eagles we sent out need a faster, more discreet way to report back the dangers they see and sense.” Bestur pointed to two or three miles east of the city, where two sand dunes stood like two giant tombs. “Look at those two big sand dunes, they’re just right.”

"Oh? What is this?" Shen Mu's eyes sharpened.

“The method is very simple!” Bestur grinned, revealing a wild smugness. “That sand dune on the left is our designated ‘peace mound.’ If it’s safe and there’s no unusual activity, just send one or two lads up there to stand, making sure the towers on the city wall can see them. The one on the right is the ‘alert mound.’ As long as they discover something, whether it’s smoke signals or ghostly figures, the more people who climb up there, the bigger the situation will be!”

Shen Mu nodded slightly, signaling him to explain in detail.

Bestur extended his rough fingers, gesturing one by one: "To be specific, it goes like this: one figure on the left dune means 'nothing's wrong, not a bird in sight'; two figures mean 'a little trouble, like a cat or dog'; three figures mean 'quite a few guys are coming, be careful'; four figures mean 'you've stirred up a hornet's nest, the enemy is large! And if..." He paused, his tone becoming extremely serious, "...five figures standing there! Then there's nothing more to say, it means 'Sir! A legion is coming! Right towards our city gate!'"

He licked his chapped lips and concluded, "If both sand dunes are manned, it means the fire is burning our eyebrows and the sky is falling! It means the enemy is gathering right under our noses and will attack at any moment! This way, the brothers on the main watchtower can see at a glance whether it's safe, a minor problem, a major problem, or a catastrophe! It's more effective than any fireworks or horns! And it's all done silently!"

Standing behind Shen Mu, Rezarit, who was in charge of the city wall defense, nodded calmly upon hearing this: "Very interesting. Using the terrain to establish a visual signal avoids the time delay and exposure risk of scouts relaying information back and forth. If we detect the five men, we will have enough time to sound the alarm and prepare to meet the enemy."

A glint of approval flashed in Shen Mu's eyes. This was indeed a clever application of Bestur's nomadic experience with the current environment. "Very good, that's it. Immediately spread the word and make sure all the bandit squads memorize the rules."

“Yes, sir!” Bestur bowed with his hand on his chest and turned to deliver the order.

Just as the early warning network surrounding New Rivadin became increasingly sophisticated, like the nerve endings of a fortress opening up, the city also received new assistance.

The heavy city gate opened a crack amidst the sound of winches, and Eleanor's tall figure appeared in the gate, followed by a group of figures whose demeanor was completely different from that of human soldiers.

He nodded slightly to the waiting messenger: "The goods have been delivered. You must be tired from your journey."

"It is our duty." The envoy replied respectfully, then turned towards the city gate and bowed to Shen Mu, placing his hand on his chest. "Your Excellency Shen Mu! We are here on Lord Bandak's orders to escort the first batch of reinforcements from the Elf Forest!"

He stepped aside, revealing about fifty agile figures behind him.

They wore dark green, close-fitting leather armor or specially made tough chainmail with leaf and vine patterns, carried long, elegant composite longbows, and had sharp, focused eyes, like the best hunters in the forest.

"Reporting to Your Excellency," the messenger's voice carried the tranquility of the forest, "fifty wood elf archers from the Elf Forest have arrived in New Rivadin today!"

Shen Mu's gaze swept over these warriors from the distant forest.

He could sense that they possessed qualities quite different from the Vaegir archers—the Vaegir archers were symbols of discipline and strength, adept at creating a barrage of arrows in volleys, and skilled at using powerful armor-piercing arrows to precisely suppress heavily armored targets in siege warfare.

These wood elves are characterized by precision and adaptability.

After the messenger briefly described his abilities, Eleanor, the highest-ranking officer of the Vaegir archers, added as appropriate:

"My lord, the initial training session is over..." Eleanor's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible surprise and admiration: "As you have seen, they have displayed remarkable skill. In long-range sniping, their range far surpasses that of my archers of the same rank. They can accurately hit a bullseye the size of a thumb from two hundred paces away. Their arrow trajectories are stable, and their wind resistance is extremely strong. Their penetrating power may be slightly inferior to our specialized armor-piercing heavy arrows, but they are deadly weapons for targeting lightly armored or vital points."

He paused, then continued, "Its rapid-fire capability at close to medium range is equally astonishing. Once within a short to medium engagement distance of about 100 paces, its drawing speed and rhythm are excellent, allowing for extremely lethal rapid and accurate volleys. Its dense 'speckled rain of arrows' is remarkably effective in suppressing elite squad raids or hindering key targets."

Ellen honestly added, "Of course, as intelligence shows, they are indeed not good at our Vikya's organized, area-covering dense volleys. This stems from their emphasis on free-field of fire and individual judgment, their slightly weaker troop discipline, and large-scale cluster suppression is not their core tactic."

Despite Eleanor pointing out the shortcomings in the volley, Shen Mu's cold face revealed a clear expression of satisfaction for the first time.

This satisfaction is not merely joy, but a clear understanding of the strategic value.

The Vaegir archers are wielding sturdy shields and heavy hammers, excelling at large-scale defense and suppression.

These wood elves are like poisoned and extremely precise daggers and eagle feathers, making them an excellent force for hunting key targets such as ghostly bone armor cavalry, spellcasting undead, carrying out special operations, or accompanying elite squads in high-difficulty ambushes.

Their addition made Deherism's ranged attack system more comprehensive and deadly.

"Precise as the stars, swift as the wind. Children of the forest, New Rivadin welcomes you." Shen Mu's voice carried a hint of solemnity: "Aireen!"

“Yes, sir!” Eleanor immediately stepped forward.

"Incorporate these Wood Elf archers into your direct archer unit and command them personally. Prioritize their training grounds and special arrow supplies, familiarize them with the fortress environment as soon as possible, and help them develop tactics with the Vaegir brothers to form a complementary firepower."

Shen Mu's gaze swept over the quiet yet sharp-looking wood elves: "Your eyes and arrows will become the key blades to tear through the fog of the undead."

The fortress's defense system, like a finely tuned gear, hummed even more powerfully under the double reinforcement of alarm whistles and precise arrows.

Elaine pounded her chest with her fist: "Understood!" (End of Chapter)