The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Laurie looked at last night's battle report with heartache. The attacked camp had suffered heavy casualties, and this was the first time the First Army had suffered casualties since the start of the campaign.

To be honest, if Doug saw this casualty ratio, he would probably be furious. After all, so many elite professionals failed to capture even an outer camp during the night raid, and lost a lot of people, rendering Hammond's forces incapable of fighting.

The other side only suffered some ordinary soldiers wounded.

But Laurie was still not entirely satisfied, because the healthcare system for white-collar and gray-collar workers was excessively advanced; otherwise, the sacrifices this time would have been even greater.

Laurie called Darcy over, and the two discussed the battle that had taken place the previous night, preparing to write a report to send to Gray Collar.

This time, the enemy didn't collapse at the first contact, and they didn't just fire a couple of shots into the air to justify the uncertain pay they were owed.

The opposing side demonstrated skillful maneuvering, unwavering fighting spirit, and exceptional combat prowess. The clashes between the two sides over the past two days can be considered the first encounter between a new-era army and an elite force from the old era, making them highly valuable for reference.

Is the gap between ordinary people and professionals still too large?

Laurie listened to Darcy's opinions while writing the report.

"At medium to long range, our troops still have the advantage."

Darcy, who personally experienced the raid on the camp last night and even shot the enemy general in the head, is very qualified to speak on this matter.

"However, once a combat-type professional gets close, it's difficult to withstand them with just a Melt-Slice Sword and enchanted cloth armor."

After recalling the events, Darcy remarked, "As expected of the knights of Lars, they are incredibly tough."

Laurie nodded and said, "While the Melting Blade allows individual soldiers to engage in close combat when the ray gun overheats, it becomes somewhat of a liability when we have a numerical advantage. We can raise this with the Governor and have the technical department improve it in the future."

"Let's change it to a spear."

Darcy suggested, "If it had been a spear last night, perhaps the brothers who sacrificed themselves wouldn't have needed to use their bodies to create opportunities. They could have cooperated with others to restrict the actions of the professionals."

"The Melting Sword can be modified into a weapon specifically for melee armor penetration, for use by certain soldiers."

After Darcy finished speaking, Laurie agreed and included these suggestions in the report.

Linde initially intended to use the Melt-Cut Sword as a bayonet, and even made it into a disposable weapon to save money.

Based on past experience, future wars will see fewer and fewer opportunities for soldiers to engage in hand-to-hand combat; the outcome of battles will truly depend on the long-range firepower of both sides.

Moreover, when it really comes down to bayonet fighting, it's usually the last moment. The idea of ​​making the melt-cut sword a disposable weapon and developing it towards portability is correct.

Therefore, not only the Melt-Slice Sword, but also the Enchanted Cloth Armor continues this design concept. The main purpose of Enchanted Cloth Armor is to block the opponent's firearms and reduce ranged magic attacks. On this basis, some melee defense is sacrificed in exchange for the mobility of quick movement.

However, this battle against the elite troops of the old era resulted in close-quarters combat on more than one occasion.

It can only be said that Linde also made a very typical empirical error.

In Linde's previous life, due to the emergence of automated weapons such as machine guns and weapons of mass destruction such as artillery and mortars, cavalry had gradually begun to withdraw from the historical stage.

Although there were still many cavalry units during World War II, they were generally used as mobile infantry, and the cavalry could no longer recapture the glory of the feudal era.

However, in this world, thanks to the various magics of the professionals, as long as the knights can maintain their formation, they can withstand a hail of bullets and even artillery fire during their charge.

Moreover, although Linde is frantically advancing in technology, the iteration of equipment is not something that can be achieved overnight. Tanks and airplanes that completely replace the role of cavalry have not yet appeared, and the gray-collar army still retains a large number of cavalry.

The horses in this world are also more durable than those in Linde's previous life. Due to multiple factors, Linde made some misjudgments, and there is still a lot of room for close-quarters combat on the battlefield.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late to discover it.

Just as Laurie and Darcy were discussing the current developments in the war, a guard suddenly came in to report that scouts had spotted a large force from Silverwing City ahead.

"Aren't their elite troops all in our prisoner-of-war camp?"

As Darcy donned his armor, he and Laurie hurried toward the front of the army.

"That's right, that's why they brought the rest of their troops with them."

Darcy scratched his head, puzzled by Laurie's answer. The night raid had failed, and their elite troops had been wiped out. Shouldn't they be holed up in the city, setting up defenses and waiting for friendly forces to come to their rescue?

"You wouldn't understand if you hadn't memorized the Code of Chivalry."

Laurie had encountered these kinds of people before when she was working in the border army, so she could roughly guess what Hammond was planning to do.

At this time, the First Army Group had already formed its battle formation. At the forefront were not the machine gunners as before, but the traditional plate armor soldiers.

Although the soldiers carrying ray guns don't seem to be all that traditional.

Laurie's close aides raised the commander's flag and rode to the front of the position.

"Is the visitor Governor Linde's commander?"

Upon seeing Hammond's booming voice, Darcy's eyes widened. He had definitely hit him with that shot last night.

Although the high-explosive ray gun was still in the experimental stage, the one in Darcy's hand had been specially calibrated and could not possibly malfunction. Yet, the other party was perfectly fine and lively even after being hit on the head.

Lars's knights are really tough.

Laurie took the megaphone from his henchman and shouted, "I am the general of this army. Are the newcomers the garrison of Silverwing City?"

"Do you dare to come out and fight me?"

Hammond rode out, lance in hand, pointing directly at Laurie.

"Don't dare!"

Laurie replied matter-of-factly, "What rank are you and what rank am I? Shall I come out and fight you one-on-one?" Of course, if the two professionals switched ranks, Laurie wouldn't accept the challenge.

Although Hammond had anticipated that his opponent would not dare to accept the challenge, he did not expect the opponent to answer so directly.

"I have only one request: after you take over Silverwing City, you are not allowed to commit rape, plunder, arson, or massacre."

Hammond gave up, after all, the other side wasn't a demon, and surrendering would only result in the massacre of the city.

"Of course, the Northerners won't fight each other. As long as they surrender, everyone can get a share of the land!"

Hammond ignored the latter part of the sentence. After receiving the promise from the other commander, Hammond waved his hand, and the remaining cavalrymen behind him mounted their horses and raised their lances.

Looking at the Silverwing City garrison assuming a fighting stance, Darcy, standing beside Laurie, asked, puzzled, "Didn't they surrender?"

"Silverwing City surrendered, but they didn't."

Looking at Hammond, who was preparing for a desperate charge, Laurie sighed, "It's just a matter of loyalty to the king."

Hammond donned his visor and shouted in a booming voice, "Knights of Lars, charge with me!"

The plate-armored soldiers at the front of the First Army pulled the safety on their ray guns and fired at the cavalry unit.